Bill > SB1147

This bill adds a new section to Missouri state law regarding insurance coverage for mental health and behavioral health treatments. The bill requires health insurance carriers to treat out-of-network emergency mental health hospital services similarly to in-network services by prohibiting additional cost-sharing for patients when they are admitted to a hospital emergency room with a mental health condition and the hospital is not in their insurance plan's network. Specifically, the insurance carrier cannot impose higher cost-sharing requirements for out-of-network mental health treatment than would apply for in-network treatment, and must reimburse the hospital at the rate of MO HealthNet or Medicare, whichever is higher. The bill also establishes that an insurance plan's provider network for mental health treatment could be considered legally inadequate if more than 15% of enrollees receiving mental health treatment are doing so outside the network, which could be grounds for legal action. This provision aims to ensure that patients can access necessary mental health care without facing excessive financial barriers or network limitations.

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https://www.senate.mo.gov/26info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=619