This bill mandates that health insurance carriers in New Jersey provide coverage for the enrollment of students in recovery high school alternative education programs. It amends existing laws to ensure that coverage for mental health conditions and substance use disorders is provided under the same terms and conditions as other medical benefits. The coverage is contingent upon a determination of clinical appropriateness by qualified professionals, including certified alcohol and drug counselors and treating physicians, based on criteria from the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The bill also reinforces compliance with the federal Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, ensuring that mental health and substance use disorder benefits are not subject to more restrictive limitations than those applied to other medical benefits.

Additionally, the bill includes provisions for benefits delivered through the psychiatric Collaborative Care Model, which integrates behavioral health services with primary care. The new legal language clarifies the requirements for coverage related to recovery high school programs while maintaining existing mandates for insurers to provide mental health and substance use disorder benefits without imposing more restrictive limitations compared to other medical benefits. The act is set to take effect 60 days after enactment and will apply to all relevant contracts and policies issued or renewed thereafter.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 17:48-6, 17:48A-7, 17:48E-35.20, 17B:26-2.1, 17B:27-46.1, 17B:27A-7.5, 17B:27A-19.7, 26:2J-4.20, 52:14-17.29