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Senate committee approves bill to require annual mental health wellness exam parity with physical exams
Summary
The Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee voted to pass House Bill 1290, a measure that would require insurers to cover a yearly mental health wellness exam on par with an annual physical; cost-sharing and provider scope were discussed in committee.
State Senator Justin Boyd told the Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee that House Bill 1290 would “create parity between a mental health exam and a physical health exam.” The committee voted, by voice, to give the bill a do-pass recommendation.
The bill would require insurers who cover an annual physical-wellness visit to also cover a mental health wellness examination once a year when performed by the list of providers specified in the bill. “Cost sharing would fall under your deductible, your co pay, coinsurance,” Grant Wallace, director of the Employee Benefits Division, told the committee, adding that a typical office-visit copay in the state plan would apply.
Committee members questioned whether the mandate would increase premiums or expand coverage beyond an exam. Wallace said an amendment removed an earlier premium impact, and the Employee Benefits Division had not identified a premium increase tied to the amended bill. Boyd reiterated the bill applies to a single annual mental health wellness exam and “creates parity between a mental health exam and a physical health exam.”
Senator McKee raised a broader policy objection to adding mandates to insurance coverage, saying he was “starting to get really weary of telling insurance companies what they what they must cover.” Senator Flowers asked if referrals or prescriptions — including medical marijuana for qualifying diagnoses — would be triggered by the exam; Boyd and Wallace said HB 1290 would cover the screening exam and referrals where clinically appropriate, but not automatically mandate ongoing treatment or particular prescriptions. The committee also discussed provider types eligible to perform the exam, which the sponsor said include physicians, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners with mental-health focus, licensed clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors and physician assistants.
The bill was moved and seconded in committee and advanced by voice vote. Committee discussion centered on scope (an annual exam rather than ongoing treatment), cost-sharing application (copays/deductibles), and whether the Legislature should add further mandated benefits for insurers.
The committee record shows a voice vote to pass HB 1290; no roll-call tally was recorded in committee minutes provided during the hearing.
