HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4574        FILED ON: 4/16/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Patrick Joseph Kearney

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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 for better habilitative and rehabilitative care for the neurodevelopmental condition stuttering.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4574        FILED ON: 4/16/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act for better habilitative and rehabilitative care for the neurodevelopmental condition stuttering.

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

Any health insurance policy, certificate, plan, or contract, including but not limited to a health benefit plan, that provides coverage for:

Habilitative services, shall provide coverage for habilitative speech therapy as a treatment for stuttering, regardless of whether the stuttering is classified as developmental.

Rehabilitative services, shall provide coverage for rehabilitative speech therapy as a treatment for stuttering; or

Both habilitative services and rehabilitative services, shall provide the coverage required under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection.

(2) The coverage required under subsection (2) of this section shall: Not be:

Subject to any maximum annual benefit limit, including any limits on the number of visits an insured may make to a speech-language pathologist.

Limited based on the type of disease, injury, disorder, or other medical condition that resulted in the stuttering.

Limited to cases of childhood stuttering.

Not be less than the coverage required for health benefit plans; and include the use of any communication technology, application, or platform to deliver telehealth services, except coverage may be restricted to technology, applications, or platforms that are compliant with any applicable privacy provisions of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, 42 U.S.C. sec. 1320d et seq., as amended. Include service codes 92507 (individual service) and 92508 (group service)

This act shall take effect in 60 days.

Schedule

Amendments to 101 CMR 339.04 Fee Schedule

Service Code Allowable Fee Service Description

92507 $150 Treatment of speech, language, voice, communication, fluency and/or auditory processing disorder; individual (maximum one unit per visit)

92508 $65 Treatment of speech, language, voice, communication, and/or auditory processing disorder; group, two or more individuals (maximum one unit per visit)

92521 $350 Evaluation of speech fluency (e.g., stuttering, cluttering)