Bill > H4893

This bill mandates that various insurance plans and health service contracts in Massachusetts must cover at least six sessions of "preventive behavioral health services" for individuals under 21, or for caregivers of infants with positive postpartum depression screenings, even if they don't have a diagnosed behavioral health condition. These services, defined as short-term interventions to build coping skills for issues like depression and anxiety, can be provided by licensed clinicians or supervised trainees, and will not require prior authorization. Coverage will include individual, family, and group sessions in pediatric primary care, community, and school settings, and will generally be free of patient cost-sharing, unless federal tax laws require it. The bill also requires payers to accept alternative diagnosis codes, such as Social Determinants of Health Z-codes, for these services, and directs the division of insurance to create guidance for implementation.

Health and Social Services

Joint Committee on Financial Services (Joint)

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4893