Bill Text: CA SB1320 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-07-15 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 135, Statutes of 2024. [SB1320 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SB1320-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-07-15 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 135, Statutes of 2024. [SB1320 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SB1320-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 1320
| Introduced by Senator Wahab |
February 16, 2024 |
An act to amend Section 1374.72 of the Health and Safety Code, and to amend Section 10144.5 of the Insurance Code, relating to health care coverage.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1320, as introduced, Wahab.
Mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of disability insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a health care service plan contract or disability insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2021, to provide coverage for medically necessary treatment of mental health and substance use disorders, as defined, under the same terms and conditions applied to other medical conditions.
This bill would require a plan or insurer subject to the above-described coverage requirement, and its delegates, to establish a process to reimburse providers for mental health and substance use
disorder treatment services that are integrated with primary care services and provided under a contract or policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2025. Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 1374.72 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:1374.72.
(a) (1) Every health care service plan contract issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2021, that provides hospital, medical, or surgical coverage shall provide coverage for medically necessary treatment of mental health and substance use disorders, under the same terms and conditions applied to other medical conditions as specified in subdivision (c).(2) For purposes of this section, “mental health and substance use disorders” means a mental health condition or substance use disorder that falls under any of the diagnostic categories listed in the mental and behavioral disorders chapter of the most recent edition of the International Classification of Diseases or that is listed in the most recent version of the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Changes in terminology, organization, or classification of mental health and substance use disorders in future versions of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the World Health Organization’s International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems shall not affect the conditions covered by this section as long as a condition is commonly understood to be a mental health or substance use disorder by health care providers practicing in relevant clinical specialties.
(3) (A) For purposes of this section, “medically necessary treatment of a mental health or substance use disorder” means a service or product addressing the specific needs of that patient, for the purpose of preventing, diagnosing, or treating an illness, injury, condition, or its symptoms, including minimizing the progression of that
illness, injury, condition, or its symptoms, in a manner that is all of the following:
(i) In accordance with the generally accepted standards of mental health and substance use disorder care.
(ii) Clinically appropriate in terms of type, frequency, extent, site, and duration.
(iii) Not primarily for the economic benefit of the health care service plan and subscribers or for the convenience of the patient, treating physician, or other health care provider.
(B) This paragraph does not limit in any way the independent medical review rights of an enrollee or subscriber under this chapter.
(4) For purposes of this section, “health care provider” means any of the following:
(A) A person who is licensed under Division 2 (commencing with Section 500) of the Business and Professions Code.
(B) An associate marriage and family therapist or marriage and family therapist trainee functioning pursuant to Section 4980.43.3 of the Business and Professions Code.
(C) A qualified autism service provider or qualified autism service professional certified by a national entity pursuant to Section 10144.51 of the Insurance Code and Section 1374.73.
(D) An associate clinical social worker functioning pursuant to Section 4996.23.2 of the Business and Professions Code.
(E) An associate professional clinical counselor or professional clinical counselor trainee functioning pursuant to
Section 4999.46.3 of the Business and Professions Code.
(F) A registered psychologist, as described in former Section 2909.5 of the Business and Professions Code.
(G) A registered psychological assistant, as described in Section 2913 of the Business and Professions Code.
(H) A psychology trainee or person supervised as set forth in Section 2910 or 2911 of, or subdivision (d) of Section 2914 of, the Business and Professions Code.
(5) For purposes of this section, “generally accepted standards of mental health and substance use disorder care” has the same meaning as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 1374.721.
(6) A health care service plan shall not limit benefits or coverage for mental health and substance use disorders to short-term or acute treatment.
(7) All medical necessity determinations by the health care service plan concerning service intensity, level of care placement, continued stay, and transfer or discharge of enrollees diagnosed with mental health and substance use disorders shall be conducted in accordance with the requirements of Section 1374.721. This paragraph does not deprive an enrollee of the other protections of this chapter, including, but not limited to, grievances, appeals, independent medical review, discharge, transfer, and continuity of care.
(8) A health care service plan that authorizes a specific type of treatment by a provider pursuant to this section shall not rescind or modify the
authorization after the provider renders the health care service in good faith and pursuant to this authorization for any reason, including, but not limited to, the plan’s subsequent rescission, cancellation, or modification of the enrollee’s or subscriber’s contract, or the plan’s subsequent determination that it did not make an accurate determination of the enrollee’s or subscriber’s eligibility. This section shall not be construed to expand or alter the benefits available to the enrollee or subscriber under a plan.
(b) The benefits that shall be covered pursuant to this section shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) Basic health care services, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1345.
(2) Intermediate services, including the full range of levels of care, including, but not limited to,
residential treatment, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient treatment.
(3) Prescription drugs, if the plan contract includes coverage for prescription drugs.
(c) The terms and conditions applied to the benefits required by this section, that shall be applied equally to all benefits under the plan contract, shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following patient financial responsibilities:
(1) Maximum annual and lifetime benefits, if not prohibited by applicable law.
(2) Copayments and coinsurance.
(3) Individual and family deductibles.
(4) Out-of-pocket maximums.
(d) If services for the medically necessary treatment of a mental health or substance use disorder are not available in network within the geographic and timely access standards set by law or regulation, the health care service plan shall arrange coverage to ensure the delivery of medically necessary out-of-network services and any medically necessary followup services that, to the maximum extent possible, meet those geographic and timely access standards. As used in this subdivision, to “arrange coverage to ensure the delivery of medically necessary out-of-network services” includes, but is not limited to, providing services to secure medically necessary out-of-network options that are available to the enrollee within geographic and timely access standards. The enrollee shall pay no more than the same cost sharing that the enrollee would pay for the same covered services received from an in-network provider.
(e) This section shall not apply to contracts entered into pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) or Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 14200) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, between the State Department of Health Care Services and a health care service plan for enrolled Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
(f) (1) For the purpose of compliance with this section, a health care service plan may provide coverage for all or part of the mental health and substance use disorder services required by this section through a separate specialized health care service plan or mental health plan, and shall not be required to obtain an additional or specialized license for this purpose.
(2) A health care service plan shall provide the mental health and substance use disorder
coverage required by this section in its entire service area and in emergency situations as may be required by applicable laws and regulations. For purposes of this section, health care service plan contracts that provide benefits to enrollees through preferred provider contracting arrangements are not precluded from requiring enrollees who reside or work in geographic areas served by specialized health care service plans or mental health plans to secure all or part of their mental health services within those geographic areas served by specialized health care service plans or mental health plans, provided that all appropriate mental health or substance use disorder services are actually available within those geographic service areas within timeliness standards.
(3) Notwithstanding any other law, in the provision of benefits required by this section, a health care service plan may utilize case management, network providers, utilization review
techniques, prior authorization, copayments, or other cost sharing, provided that these practices are consistent with Section 1374.76 of this code, and Section 2052 of the Business and Professions Code.
(g) This section shall not be construed to deny or restrict in any way the department’s authority to ensure plan compliance with this chapter.
(h) A health care service plan shall not limit benefits or coverage for medically necessary services on the basis that those services should be or could be covered by a public entitlement program, including, but not limited to, special education or an individualized education program, Medicaid, Medicare, Supplemental Security Income, or Social Security Disability Insurance, and shall not include or enforce a contract term that excludes otherwise covered benefits on the basis that those services should be or could be covered by a public
entitlement program.
(i) A health care service plan shall not adopt, impose, or enforce terms in its plan contracts or provider agreements, in writing or in operation, that undermine, alter, or conflict with the requirements of this section.
(j) For services provided to an enrollee under a health care service plan contract issued, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2025, a health care service plan subject to this section, and its delegates, shall establish a process to reimburse providers for mental health and substance use disorder treatment services that are integrated with primary care services.
SEC. 2.
Section 10144.5 of the Insurance Code is amended to read:10144.5.
(a) (1) Every disability insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2021, that provides hospital, medical, or surgical coverage shall provide coverage for medically necessary treatment of mental health and substance use disorders, under the same terms and conditions applied to other medical conditions as specified in subdivision (c).(2) For purposes of this section, “mental health and substance use disorders” means a mental health condition or substance use disorder that falls under any of the diagnostic categories listed in the mental and behavioral disorders chapter of the most recent edition of the World Health Organization’s International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, or that
is listed in the most recent version of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Changes in terminology, organization, or classification of mental health and substance use disorders in future versions of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the World Health Organization’s International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems shall not affect the conditions covered by this section as long as a condition is commonly understood to be a mental health or substance use disorder by health care providers practicing in relevant clinical specialties.
(3) (A) For purposes of this section, “medically necessary treatment of a mental health or substance use disorder” means a service or product addressing the specific needs of that patient, for the purpose of preventing, diagnosing, or treating an
illness, injury, condition, or its symptoms, including minimizing the progression of an illness, injury, condition, or its symptoms, in a manner that is all of the following:
(i) In accordance with the generally accepted standards of mental health and substance use disorder care.
(ii) Clinically appropriate in terms of type, frequency, extent, site, and duration.
(iii) Not primarily for the economic benefit of the disability insurer and insureds or for the convenience of the patient, treating physician, or other health care provider.
(B) This paragraph does not limit in any way the independent medical review rights of an insured or policyholder under this chapter.
(4) “Health care
provider” means any of the following:
(A) A person who is licensed under Division 2 (commencing with Section 500) of the Business and Professions Code.
(B) An associate marriage and family therapist or marriage and family therapist trainee functioning pursuant to Section 4980.43.3 of the Business and Professions Code.
(C) A qualified autism service provider or qualified autism service professional certified by a national entity pursuant to Section 1374.73 of the Health and Safety Code and Section 10144.51.
(D) An associate clinical social worker functioning pursuant to Section 4996.23.2 of the Business and Professions Code.
(E) An associate professional clinical counselor or professional
clinical counselor trainee functioning pursuant to Section 4999.46.3 of the Business and Professions Code.
(F) A registered psychologist, as described in former Section 2909.5 of the Business and Professions Code.
(G) A registered psychological assistant, as described in Section 2913 of the Business and Professions Code.
(H) A psychology trainee or person supervised as set forth in Section 2910 or 2911 of, or subdivision (d) of Section 2914 of, the Business and Professions Code.
(5) For purposes of this section, “generally accepted standards of mental health and substance use disorder care” has the same meaning as defined in paragraph (1) of
subdivision (f) of Section 10144.52.
(6) A disability insurer shall not limit benefits or coverage for mental health and substance use disorders to short-term or acute treatment.
(7) All medical necessity determinations made by the disability insurer concerning service intensity, level of care placement, continued stay, and transfer or discharge of insureds diagnosed with mental health and substance use disorders shall be conducted in accordance with the requirements of Section 10144.52.
(8) A disability insurer that authorizes a specific type of treatment by a provider pursuant to this section shall not rescind or modify the authorization after the provider renders the health care service in good faith and pursuant to this authorization for any reason, including, but not limited to, the insurer’s subsequent
rescission, cancellation, or modification of the insured’s or policyholder’s contract, or the insurer’s subsequent determination that it did not make an accurate determination of the insured’s or policyholder’s eligibility. This section shall not be construed to expand or alter the benefits available to the insured or policyholder under an insurance policy.
(b) The benefits that shall be covered pursuant to this section shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) Basic health care services, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1345 of the Health and Safety Code.
(2) Intermediate services, including the full range of levels of care, including, but not limited to, residential treatment, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient treatment.
(3) Prescription drugs, if the policy includes coverage for prescription drugs.
(c) The terms and conditions applied to the benefits required by this section, that shall be applied equally to all benefits under the disability insurance policy shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following patient financial responsibilities:
(1) Maximum and annual lifetime benefits, if not prohibited by applicable law.
(2) Copayments and coinsurance.
(3) Individual and family deductibles.
(4) Out-of-pocket maximums.
(d) If services for the medically necessary treatment of a mental health or substance use disorder are
not available in network within the geographic and timely access standards set by law or regulation, the disability insurer shall arrange coverage to ensure the delivery of medically necessary out-of-network services and any medically necessary followup services that, to the maximum extent possible, meet those geographic and timely access standards. As used in this subdivision, to “arrange coverage to ensure the delivery of medically necessary out-of-network services” includes, but is not limited to, providing services to secure medically necessary out-of-network options that are available to the insured within geographic and timely access standards. The insured shall pay no more than the same cost sharing that the insured would pay for the same covered services received from an in-network provider.
(e) This section shall not apply to accident-only, specified disease, hospital indemnity, Medicare supplement, dental-only, or vision-only
insurance policies.
(f) (1) For the purpose of compliance with this section, a disability insurer may provide coverage for all or part of the mental health and substance use disorder services required by this section through a separate specialized health insurance policy or mental health policy. This paragraph shall not apply to policies that are subject to Section 10112.27.
(2) A disability insurer shall provide the mental health and substance use disorder coverage required by this section in its entire service area and in emergency situations as may be required by applicable laws and regulations. For purposes of this section, disability insurance policies that provide benefits to insureds through preferred provider contracting arrangements are not precluded from requiring insureds who reside or work in geographic areas served by specialized health
insurance policies or mental health insurance policies to secure all or part of their mental health services within those geographic areas served by specialized health insurance policies or mental health insurance policies, provided that all appropriate mental health or substance use disorder services are actually available within those geographic service areas within timeliness standards.
(3) Notwithstanding any other law, in the provision of benefits required by this section, a disability insurer may utilize case management, network providers, utilization review techniques, prior authorization, copayments, or other cost sharing, provided that these practices are consistent with Section 10144.4 of this code, and Section 2052 of the Business and Professions Code.
(g) This section shall not be construed to deny or restrict in any way the department’s authority to ensure a
disability insurer’s compliance with this code.
(h) A disability insurer shall not limit benefits or coverage for medically necessary services on the basis that those services should be or could be covered by a public entitlement program, including, but not limited to, special education or an individualized education program, Medicaid, Medicare, Supplemental Security Income, or Social Security Disability Insurance, and shall not include or enforce a contract term that excludes otherwise covered benefits on the basis that those services should be or could be covered by a public entitlement program.
(i) A disability insurer shall not adopt, impose, or enforce terms in its policies or provider agreements, in writing or in operation, that undermine, alter, or conflict with the requirements of this section.
(j) For services provided to an insured under a disability insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2025, a disability insurer subject to this section, and its delegates, shall establish a process to reimburse providers for mental health and substance use disorder treatment services that are integrated with primary care services.
(j)
(k) If the commissioner determines that a disability insurer has violated this section, the commissioner may, after appropriate notice and opportunity for hearing in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 5
(commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), by order, assess a civil penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each violation, or, if a violation was willful, a civil penalty not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each violation.
