Bill > H970

This bill establishes a Behavioral Health Education and Prevention Task Force to review best practices for school-based behavioral health prevention plans and curricula, and creates an incentive grant program to help schools implement these plans. It also mandates that insurance coverage for state employees and Medicaid recipients include buprenorphine, injectable naltrexone, and methadone treatment programs, with limitations on out-of-pocket costs for methadone treatment, and requires that substance abuse treatment programs in state correctional facilities and local jails be licensed by the Department of Public Health and use approved detoxification protocols. Furthermore, the bill directs the creation of a public-facing quality outcomes dashboard for substance abuse services and establishes community-based substance abuse walk-in centers to provide streamlined access to treatment, emergency counseling, and referrals. Finally, it mandates pilot programs to integrate substance abuse treatment with primary care within the MassHealth system.