Revision: Dec. 11, 2023, 4:07 p.m.
2024 SESSION
24-3049.1
05/10
SENATE BILL [bill number]
AN ACT relative to emergency mental health services for persons 21 years of age and younger.
SPONSORS: [sponsors]
COMMITTEE: [committee]
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ANALYSIS
This bill requires insurers to provide certain emergency behavioral and mental health services for enrollees 21 years of age and younger.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
24-3049.1
05/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Four
AN ACT relative to emergency mental health services for persons 21 years of age and younger.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Emergency Mental Health Services for Persons 21 Years of Age and Younger. Amend RSA 417-F by inserting after section 4 the following new section:
417-F:5 Emergency Mental Health Services for Persons 21 Years of Age and Younger.
I. Each insurer that issues or renews any individual policy, plan, or contract of accident or health insurance providing benefits for medical, rehabilitation, or hospital expenses, shall provide to certificate holders of such insurance, who are residents of this state, coverage for the following services for children and youth 21 years of age or under:
(a) Behavioral health or mental health crisis assessments, including both in person and telehealth services.
(b) Behavioral health crisis intervention, including mobile or stationary crisis services, which identifies, assesses, treats, stabilizes, and otherwise helps children and families to resolve crisis situations to reduce the immediate risk of danger to the child or others.
(c) Behavioral health crisis stabilization services, which are intensive short term, out of home resources for the child and family, helping to avert the need for psychiatric inpatient treatment.
(d) Behavioral health intensive in-home services, which are therapeutic interventions delivered to children and families in their homes and other community settings to improve child and family functioning and prevent out-of-home placement. The components of intensive in-home services include, but are not limited to individual and family therapy, skills training and behavioral interventions, functional supports, and family support and training.
(e) Behavioral health residential treatment services, including but not limited to services to meet the treatment and supervision needs of the child and provide 24-hour care outside of the child’s home.
(f) Behavioral health intensive structured outpatient programs, which include short-term, clinically intensive, structured day or evening service for a child with a behavioral health disorder, and provides multidisciplinary treatment to address the subacute needs of children and youth, while allowing them to continue to work or attend school and be part of family life.
(g) Intensive care coordination, including but not limited to evidence based approaches like a high fidelity wraparound for children and youth with significant behavioral health conditions, which includes assessment and service planning, accessing and arranging for services, coordinating multiple services, including access to crisis services. Assisting the child and family to meet basic needs, advocating for the child and family, and monitoring progress are also included. The wraparound “facilitator” is the intensive care coordinator who organizes, convenes, and coordinates this process.
(h) Parent and youth peer support services provided by trained peer support specialists.
(i) Partial hospitalization programs, which are a nonresidential treatment program that may be hospital-based. The program provides clinical, diagnostic, and treatment services at a level of intensity equal to an inpatient program, but on less than a 24-hour basis. These services may include therapeutic milieu; nursing; psychiatric evaluation and medication management; group and individual or family therapy; psychological testing; vocational counseling; rehabilitation recovery counseling; substance-use disorder evaluation and counseling; and behavioral plans.
II. No prior authorization shall be required for subparagraphs I(a), I(b), or I(c).
III. A prior authorization of up to 72 hours may be required for subparagraphs I(d) through I(i).
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 30 days after its passage.