Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H1242 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3661 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1242
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Jon Santiago
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act providing equitable access to behavioral health services for MassHealth consumers.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Jon Santiago9th Suffolk1/19/2023 1 of 2
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3661 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1242
18	18	By Representative Santiago of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1242) of Jon
19	19	Santiago relative to providing equitable access to behavioral health services for MassHealth
20	20	consumers. Health Care Financing.
21	21	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
22	22	_______________
23	23	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
24	24	(2023-2024)
25	25	_______________
26	26	An Act providing equitable access to behavioral health services for MassHealth consumers.
27	27	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
28	28	of the same, as follows:
29	29	1 SECTION 1. Section 12 of chapter 118E of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
30	30	2Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the ninth paragraph the following
31	31	3paragraphs:-
32	32	4 The division shall certify and ensure that all contracted accountable care organizations,
33	33	5contracted health insurers, health plans, health maintenance organizations, and behavioral health
34	34	6management firms and third party administrators under contract to a Medicaid managed care
35	35	7organization or primary care clinician plan provide equal access to behavioral health services,
36	36	8benefits and medications of comparable quality in providing medical assistance to recipients.
37	37	9 The division shall obtain the approval of the secretary of the executive office of health
38	38	10and human services for all behavioral health services, benefits, and medications, including, but
39	39	11not limited to, policies, protocols, standards, contract specifications, utilization review and
40	40	12utilization management criteria and outcome measurements, used by all contracted accountable 2 of 2
41	41	13care organizations, contracted insurers, health plans, health maintenance organizations,
42	42	14behavioral health management firms and third party administrators under contract to a Medicaid
43	43	15managed care organization or primary care clinician plan.
44	44	16 Notwithstanding the provision of any general or special law to the contrary, all contracted
45	45	17accountable care organizations, contracted health insurers, health plans, health maintenance
46	46	18organizations and behavioral health management firms and third-party administrators under
47	47	19contract to a Medicaid managed care clinician plan shall submit its method of determining
48	48	20reimbursement levels to all network inpatient mental health and substance use providers and how
49	49	21such methodology is sufficient to meet the costs of providing inpatient care. Such method shall
50	50	22include, but not be limited to, the range of payment amounts including the median payment
51	51	23levels and how such payments are regularly updated. A report including this information shall be
52	52	24submitted to the division and the house and senate committees on ways and means; the
53	53	25committee on health care financing, and the committee on mental health, substance use and
54	54	26recovery no later than 90 days after the effective date of this act.