Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mental Health Insurance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House narrowly approves voluntary catastrophic mental‑health insurance option
Summary
The Utah House passed a second‑substitute to HB35 on a 40–33 vote to require insurers to offer, but not mandate, a catastrophic mental‑health coverage option; supporters called it a safety net, opponents warned of costs and limited uptake by employers.
The Utah House of Representatives passed the second substitute to House Bill 35 on a 40–33 vote after extended floor debate, sending the voluntary catastrophic mental‑health insurance measure to the Senate.
Sponsor Representative Judy Ann Buckmeyer told colleagues the proposal would create a low‑cost "safety net" option that insurers could offer to businesses and individuals to cover severe, long‑term mental‑health needs. "This bill does not mandate any business to purchase any insurance," Buckmeyer said in her presentation and urged members to "vote for it" as a start toward improved coverage.
Supporters argued the measure could reduce public costs over time by limiting uncompensated hospitalizations, homelessness and criminal‑justice expenses related to untreated severe mental illness. Representative Holligan, who supported the bill, said the sponsor had made it more palatable to multiple stakeholders and urged sending it to the Senate for further negotiation. Representative Hansen cited physician‑provided statistics to underscore the prevalence of mental‑health conditions and urged support for options that help people obtain care.
Opponents cautioned that the bill would have limited impact if employers chose not to offer the option and that cumulative mandates could increase insurance costs. Representative Bennion warned successive benefit additions can raise costs and reduce coverage access. Representative Price delivered a personal and cautionary account about medication side effects and urged careful consideration of clinical risks and program design.
The House briefly called the chamber to a roll call to ensure a full quorum for the final tally; after procedural maneuvers the measure passed 40–33. Representative Buckmeyer said the bill is intended as a pragmatic first step and invited further work in the Senate.
What happens next: The bill will be transmitted to the Utah Senate for consideration; the House record shows the measure passed on a party‑line or closely contested vote and further amendment or negotiation is likely in the upper chamber.
