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House passes third-substitute HB 4 46 to extend primary‑care network benefits; debate centers on costs and mental‑health coverage
Summary
After hours of debate and two failed procedural substitutions, the Utah House approved third‑substitute HB 4 46 (56‑18), a measure that extends coverage under the Primary Care Network and allows certain psychiatric providers to continue care as beneficiaries move from Medicaid into PCN. Sponsors said the bill gives mental‑health continuity; critics warned of fiscal and procedural risks.
The Utah House of Representatives passed third‑substitute HB 4 46 on March 5, 2015 by a vote of 56 to 18, moving the measure to the Senate for consideration. The bill, discussed on the floor as a state plan informally called "Utah Cares," would extend primary‑care‑network (PCN) coverage and, in the sponsor's third substitute, allow psychiatrists and psychiatric advanced‑practice nurse practitioners to be treated as primary‑care providers under PCN so patients can retain outpatient mental‑health treatment as they gain employment.
The bill's sponsor, Representative Dunigan, told the House the proposal is designed to fill the "coverage gap"—adults who currently lack access to Medicaid or subsidized coverage—and said the third substitute preserves fiscal controls built into the bill: "The main thing is it does not change the fiscal note in the…
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