Bill > H4892

This bill amends Massachusetts General Laws to preserve access to treatment for patients with serious mental illnesses by defining "serious mental illness" to include conditions like bipolar disorders, major depressive disorders, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder, as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Specifically, it prevents insurance carriers and utilization review organizations, as well as the state's health insurance division or its contractors, from imposing prior authorization requirements, step therapy protocols (where patients must try less expensive drugs first), or other restrictive measures on drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating these serious mental illnesses, thereby aiming to ensure timely access to necessary medications.

Health and Social Services

Joint Committee on Financial Services (Joint)

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4892