AUGUSTA - The chairs of the Legislature's Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services (HCIFS) Committee, Sen. Heather Sanborn, D-Portland, and Rep. Denise Tepler, D-Topsham, are announcing the advancement of a suite of legislation critical to providing care for individuals with behavioral health needs. This announcement follows a Thursday press release from the Mills administration proposing an additional $19.7 million in state funds to bolster behavioral health services.
The HCIFS Committee has advanced the following amended bills aimed at improving access to behavioral health care:
- LD 1910, sponsored by Tepler, would improve the accessibility of children's mental health care in Maine by requiring health insurance carriers to cover evidence-based practices that are determined to be medically necessary care for individuals 21 years of age or younger.
- LD 1196, sponsored by Rep. Sam Zager, D-Portland, would expedite credentialing for mental health and behavioral health providers to expand the availability of care in Maine.
- LD 1822, sponsored by Rep. Victoria Morales, D-South Portland, would strengthen Maine's mental health parity laws and improve the affordability of behavioral health services in Maine by putting copays for behavioral health care on par with primary care visits.
"The stress and anxiety of the pandemic has created a mental health crisis among Mainers of all ages. Helplines across Maine and the country are reporting a skyrocketing number of calls," said Sanborn. "At the same time, we keep finding barriers to accessing this critical health care. We need to make sure these barriers are reduced wherever they can be, whether by limiting copays or cutting through insurers' bureaucratic red tape for providers. These bills move us positively in that direction. I'm proud of the work our committee put into this, and I was proud to vote in favor of these bills."
"It is critical that young people in our state have access to mental and behavioral health care," said Tepler. "When health insurance carriers deny coverage of recognized evidence-based practices, Mainers suffer. I am grateful the committee voted to advance my bill that will ensure children can get coverage for the care they need."
"Folks throughout Maine regardless of demographic group or political persuasion now see how important mental and behavioral health is," said Zager. "It affects everyone directly or indirectly, and these bills represent several steps forward in our state. The updated version of LD 1196 would expedite credentialing for mental health and behavioral health providers, which would provide some relief to Mainers awaiting care. It also will clarify our understanding of the entire system so we can thoughtfully improve it together. The Maine Medical Association and Dr. Beth Wilson did a great job conducting stakeholder meetings, and the HCIFS Committee worked very hard to produce this legislation."
"The behavioral health crisis can be seen all over Maine," said Morales. "We see it in our emergency rooms, our jails, our schools and our homes. I am glad that the health coverage committee was able to advance my bill, LD 1822, which would make behavioral health services more affordable to everyday Mainers. This is one critical part of the solution to addressing our state's behavioral health needs, and I am grateful to the advocates and committee members for working so hard on this legislation."
LD 1910, LD 1196 and LD 1822 face additional votes from the full Legislature in the coming weeks.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Tepler, Morales, Zager], c. 207-812-1111
Lisa Haberzettl [Sanborn], c. 207-251-3548