Sponsored by:
Senator VIN GOPAL
District 11 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Requires health insurance carriers to provide coverage for enrollment of student in recovery high school alternative education program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning health insurance coverage and amending P.L.1999, c.106 and P.L.1999, c.441.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.1999, c.106 (C.17:48-6v) is amended to read as follows:
1. a. (1) Every individual and group hospital service corporation contract that provides hospital or medical expense benefits and is delivered, issued, executed or renewed in this State pursuant to P.L.1938, c.366 (C.17:48-1 et seq.), or approved for issuance or renewal in this State by the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, on or after the effective date of this act shall provide coverage for mental health conditions and substance use disorders under the same terms and conditions as provided for any other sickness under the contract and shall meet the requirements of the federal Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, 42 U.S.C. s.18031(j), and any amendments to, and federal guidance or regulations issued under that act, including 45 C.F.R. Parts 146 and 147 and 45 C.F.R. s.156.115(a)(3).
Coverage provided pursuant to this section shall include benefits for the enrollment of a student in a recovery high school alternative education program established pursuant to P.L.2015, c.254 (C.18A:35-29 et seq.), if placement in the recovery high school alternative education program is determined to be clinically appropriate by a certified alcohol and drug counselor, licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor, treating physician, treatment facility, or district student assistance counselor using the criteria for substance use disorder or dependency as defined by the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
(2) As used in this section:
"Mental health condition" means a condition defined to be consistent with generally recognized independent standards of current medical practice referenced in the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
(a) 99492 Initial psychiatric collaborative care management;
(b) 99493 Subsequent psychiatric collaborative care management; and
(c) 99494 Initial or subsequent psychiatric collaborative care management, additional time.
"Same terms and conditions" means that the hospital service corporation cannot apply more restrictive non-quantitative limitations, such as utilization review and other criteria or more quantitative limitations such as copayments, deductibles, aggregate or annual limits or benefit limits to mental health condition and substance use disorder benefits than those applied to substantially all other medical or surgical benefits.
"Substance use disorder" means a disorder defined to be consistent with generally recognized independent standards of current medical practice referenced in the most current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
b. (Deleted by amendment, P.L.2019, c.58)
c. The provisions of this section shall apply to all contracts in which the hospital service corporation has reserved the right to change the premium.
d. Nothing in this section shall reduce the requirement for a hospital service corporation to provide benefits pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2017, c.28 (C.17:48-6nn).
(cf: P.L.2022, c.33, s.1)
2. Section 2 of P.L.1999, c.106 (C.17:48A-7u) is amended to read as follows:
2. a. (1) Every individual and group medical service corporation contract that provides hospital or medical expense benefits that is delivered, issued, executed or renewed in this State pursuant to P.L.1940, c.74 (C.17:48A-1 et seq.), or approved for issuance or renewal in this State by the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, on or after the effective date of this act shall provide coverage for mental health conditions and substance use disorders under the same terms and conditions as provided for any other sickness under the contract and shall meet the requirements of the federal Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, 42 U.S.C. s.18031(j), and any amendments to, and federal guidance or regulations issued under that act, including 45 s.C.F.R. Parts 146 and 147 and 45 C.F.R. s.156.115(a)(3).
Coverage provided pursuant to this section shall include benefits delivered through the psychiatric Collaborative Care Model.
Coverage provided pursuant to this section shall include benefits for the enrollment of a student in a recovery high school alternative education program established pursuant to P.L.2015, c.254 (C.18A:35-29 et seq.), if placement in the recovery high school alternative education program is determined to be clinically appropriate by a certified alcohol and drug counselor, licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor, treating physician, treatment facility, or district student assistance counselor using the criteria for substance use disorder or dependency as defined by the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
(2) As used in this section:
"Mental health condition" means a condition defined to be consistent with generally recognized independent standards of current medical practice referenced in the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model means the evidence-based, integrated behavioral health service delivery method wherein a primary care provider and a care manager collaborate with a psychiatric consultant to provide care to a patient. Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model shall include those benefits that are billed using the following list of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, which list shall be updated by the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance whenever the codes are altered or supplemented:
(a) 99492 Initial psychiatric collaborative care management;
(b) 99493 Subsequent psychiatric collaborative care management; and
(c) 99494 Initial or subsequent psychiatric collaborative care management, additional time.
"Same terms and conditions" means that the medical service corporation cannot apply more restrictive non-quantitative limitations, such as utilization review and other criteria or more quantitative limitations such as copayments, deductibles, aggregate or annual limits or benefit limits to mental health condition and substance use disorder benefits than those applied to substantially all other medical or surgical benefits.
"Substance use disorder" means a disorder defined to be consistent with generally recognized independent standards of current medical practice referenced in the most current version of the Diagnostic and