2025 -- S 0344
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
____________
A N A C T
RELATING TO INSURANCE -- INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR MENTAL ILLNESS AND
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS
Introduced By: Senators DiMario, Lawson, DiPalma, Mack, Thompson, Valverde,
Lauria, Euer, Murray, and Urso
Date Introduced: February 21, 2025
Referred To: Senate Health & Human Services
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Legislative findings. 1
The general assembly hereby finds that: 2
(1) All babies and young children need responsive, consistent, nurturing relationships to 3
promote the development of positive mental health. 4
(2) In Rhode Island, the number of young children enrolled in Medicaid presenting with 5
Serious Emotional Disturbance grew from ten percent (10%) in 2017 to twenty-two percent (22%) 6
in 2024. Many young children are experiencing significant mental health challenges that interfere 7
with their development, relationships and learning. 8
(3) As of 2023, there were twenty-three (23) states and the District of Columbia that 9
actively promoted specific age-appropriate assessment frameworks and/or therapies through 10
Medicaid policy. 11
(4) Rhode Island’s Medicaid and commercial insurance providers already pay for mental 12
health services for young children, but the state has a very limited supply of therapists who have 13
specific training to work with the youngest children. 14
(5) Rhode Island has not developed adequate infrastructure to support the use of 15
recommended mental health assessment frameworks designed for young children or evidence-16
based dyadic therapies for children under age six (6). 17
SECTION 2. Chapter 27-38.2 of the General Laws entitled "Insurance Coverage for Mental 18
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Illness and Substance Use Disorders" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 1
27-38.2-7. Infant and early childhood mental health hub. 2
(a) The executive office of health and human services (EOHHS) shall develop a budget 3
and seek federal, philanthropic, or other funding to establish an early childhood mental health hub 4
program ("hub") focused on promoting and improving access to infant and early childhood mental 5
health services for children under the age of six (6) years and their families. The hub shall be funded 6
as a pilot program for a minimum of three (3) years to: 7
(1) Train and support infant and early childhood mental health professionals in Rhode 8
Island; 9
(2) Maintain a registry of infant and early childhood mental health professionals and their 10
qualifications; 11
(3) Monitor the availability of services, new national recommendations, and advancements 12
in interventions and therapies; and 13
(4) Make recommendations to Medicaid and behavioral health systems to address gaps. 14
(b) The hub shall be designed to integrate and align with the Rhode Island children’s 15
behavioral health system of care managed by the EOHHS. 16
(c) Needs that are outlined in the Rhode Island infant early childhood mental health plan 17
shall be early priorities for the hub including: 18
(1) Offering training and ongoing implementation support for clinicians to become certified 19
and to use evidence-based, family-based dyadic therapy models for children under the age of six 20
(6) years, such as child-parent psychotherapy (CPP), parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), and 21
attachment and biobehavioral catch-up (ABC). Building the training capacity in the state by holding 22
train-the-trainer programs should be considered; 23
(2) Offering training and ongoing implementation support on developmentally-appropriate 24
screenings to identify mental health challenges in young children from infancy to under the age of 25
six (6) years; 26
(3) Offering training and ongoing implementation support for clinicians to conduct 27
developmentally-, culturally-, and family-appropriate assessments of mental health in young 28
children under the age of six (6) years; 29
(4) Advancing equitable access to services and reducing racial and ethnic disparities, 30
increasing the number of infant and early childhood qualified mental health clinicians who are 31
bilingual or represent the diverse races, ethnicities, and cultures of young children and families in 32
Rhode Island; and 33
(5) Serving as a community resource for families and health professionals to find a connect 34
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with effective therapeutic services for young children suffering with mental health challenges. 1
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. 2
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO INSURANCE -- INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR MENTAL ILLNESS AND
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS
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This act would require the executive office of health and human services (EOHHS) to 1
develop a budget and seek federal, philanthropic, or other funding to establish an early childhood 2
mental health hub program focused on improving access to infant and early childhood mental health 3
services for children under the age of six (6) years and their families. The hub would be funded as 4
a pilot program for a minimum of three (3) years. 5
This act would take effect upon passage. 6
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