The bill amends the Mental Health Code of 1974 by updating definitions and clarifying terms related to mental health services. Key insertions include the definition of "ability to pay," which refers to the financial capacity of a responsible party to cover service costs as determined by the department. The term "cost of services" is also refined to specify that it encompasses total operating and capital costs incurred by the department or community mental health services programs, excluding costs related to research or unrelated government expenses. Additionally, the definition of "insurance coverage" is expanded to include various types of health benefit plans, and the term "parents" is simplified to refer to the legal parents of an unmarried individual under 18.

The bill also makes several deletions to streamline language, such as removing "the provision of" from the definition of "cost of services" and changing "father and mother" to simply "parents." These changes aim to modernize the language of the Mental Health Code and ensure clarity in the definitions used throughout the legislation. The enactment of this amendatory act is contingent upon the approval of specific resolutions in the state legislature.

Statutes affected:
House Introduced Bill: 330.1800