This bill amends various chapters of the General Laws to establish a requirement for health insurance policies regarding coverage for acute mental health crisis mobile response and stabilization services. It introduces a definition for "mobile response and stabilization services," which refers to a behavioral health crisis intervention system that provides immediate de-escalation, stabilization services, and follow-up care for children and youth aged 18 and younger experiencing acute mental health crises. Symptoms may include aggression, self-injury, trauma, acute depression/anxiety, challenges at school, suicidal or homicidal thoughts/behaviors, and extreme parent/child conflict.

The bill mandates that all individual or group health insurance contracts delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the state on or after January 1, 2026, must provide coverage for these mobile response and stabilization services. The coverage must be consistent with the core components of the mobile crisis model and in accordance with the insurers' existing reimbursement, credentialing, and contracting processes, ensuring that any utilization review processes do not limit timely access or fidelity to the model.

Additionally, the bill specifies that mobile response and stabilization services must be provided by certified providers, which are licensed behavioral health organizations that have demonstrated expertise in delivering child-specific services and have obtained relevant state licensure or certification. The act also outlines that certain types of insurance coverage, such as hospital confinement indemnity, disability income, accident-only, long-term care, Medicare supplement, limited benefit health, specified disease indemnity, and other limited benefit policies, are exempt from this requirement. The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2026, ensuring that eligible individuals enrolled in health plans will have access to necessary mental health crisis interventions.