Bill > H785

This bill aims to ensure continuity of mental health treatment by defining a "continuing course of treatment" as having at least one visit in the past four months for the same or similar mental health diagnosis or symptoms. It amends existing law (chapter 176O of the General Laws) to allow individuals undergoing such treatment to continue seeing their licensed mental health provider even if the provider is involuntarily or voluntarily disenrolled from their insurance network (carrier) for reasons other than quality or fraud, or if the provider becomes out-of-network due to a carrier change. Under these circumstances, the insurance carrier must reimburse the provider at their usual network rate, or the median rate if multiple exist, and the patient may only pay a higher co-payment if it's demonstrably due to increased costs from using an out-of-network provider, with no additional charges or deductibles beyond that. The bill also updates the title of a section related to continued treatment by out-of-network providers.