Senate committee hears introduction to bill aimed at Medicaid behavioral-health parity

Senate Health & Social Services Committee Chair Senator Dunbar introduced Senate Bill 45 on Jan. 28, 2025, saying the measure would require the State to analyze whether Medicaid covers behavioral health the same as physical health and to report back to the Legislature.

The bill would add a new subsection to Alaska Medicaid statute that, according to Ariel Wigan, committee aide and chief of staff to Chair Dunbar, "states that the State must provide equal coverage and access to treatment for behavioral health issues" and would require the Department of Health to follow federal behavioral health parity statutes listed in the bill.

Supporters from the Alaska Behavioral Health Association and provider groups told the committee that administrative rules and documentation requirements make it harder for Alaskans to obtain community-based behavioral health care. Lance Johnson,…