SENATE DOCKET, NO. 525        FILED ON: 2/1/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1290

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

John F. Keenan

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act establishing a commission to encourage acceptance of insurance by outpatient mental health providers.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 525        FILED ON: 2/1/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1290

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act establishing a commission to encourage acceptance of insurance by outpatient mental health providers.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any special or general law to the contrary, there shall be a special commission to study and make recommendations on increasing acceptance of commercial insurance and Medicaid by outpatient mental health providers.

The commission shall consist of the following members or their designees: the secretary of health and human services, who shall serve as chair; the commissioner of insurance; the director of Medicaid; the executive director of the group insurance commission; the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on mental health, substance use, and recovery; and the following members to be appointed by the chair: 1 of whom shall be a representative of the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society, Inc.; 1 of whom shall be a representative of the Massachusetts Psychological Association, Inc.; 1 of whom shall be a representative of the National Association of Social Workers, Inc.; 1 of whom shall be a representative of the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, Inc.; 1 of whom shall be a representative of the Association for Behavioral Healthcare, Inc.; 1 of whom shall be a representative of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts, Inc.; 1 of whom shall be a representative of the Children’s Mental Health Campaign; 1 of whom shall be a representative of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Inc.; and 1 of whom shall be a representative of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, Inc.

The commission’s review shall include, but not be limited to: (i) creating aggregate demographic and geographic profiles of outpatient mental health provider acceptance of commercial insurance and Medicaid throughout the commonwealth; (ii) identifying barriers to outpatient mental health providers’ acceptance of commercial insurance and Medicaid, including but not limited to the impact of commercial and Medicaid reimbursement rates and administrative processes; (iii) identifying ways to encourage outpatient mental health providers to accept commercial insurance and Medicaid; (iii) the feasibility of requiring acceptance of commercial insurance and Medicaid as a condition of licensure for outpatient mental health providers; and (iv) other challenges of insured patients with a mental health disorder to accessing outpatient mental health outpatient services, including, but not limited to experiences of young people under the age of 22.

The commission shall submit its findings and recommendations, together with drafts of legislation or regulations necessary to carry those recommendations into effect, to the clerks of the senate and house of representatives and the joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery not later than 1 year after the effective date of this act.