Bill > S552

This bill aims to enhance the continuity of mental health care in Massachusetts. It introduces a definition for "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. The bill requires health insurers to allow patients who are engaged in a continuing course of treatment with a mental health provider to continue treatment with that provider if the provider is involuntarily or voluntarily disenrolled from the insurer's network, unless it is for quality-related reasons or fraud. The insurer must reimburse the out-of-network provider at the usual network rate and can only charge the patient a higher co-payment if it can demonstrate increased costs, which are subject to review by the state's Division of Health Care Finance and Policy.

Business and Industry

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/S552