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House committee advances bill to fix "ghost networks," speed credentialing and reimburse supervised behavioral‑health trainees
Summary
The Colorado House Health & Human Services Committee voted to advance HB1002, which requires insurers to verify mental‑health provider participation annually, mandates 60‑day credentialing decisions for behavioral‑health providers, and requires commercial reimbursement for supervised pre‑licensed clinicians; the bill goes to Appropriations after a 10–2 committee vote.
Representative Dylan Gilchrist, sponsor of House Bill 1,002, told the Health & Human Services Committee the bill aims to improve access to behavioral‑health care by tackling inaccurate insurance provider directories and long credentialing timelines. "These ghost networks make it harder for patients to find care," Gilchrist said, describing families who spend hours calling listed providers without success.
The strike‑below amendment before the committee would require carriers to confirm provider participation at least once a year and to remove providers who fail to confirm after a defined period. It also directs commercial insurers to complete credentialing for mental‑health and substance‑use providers within 60 days and requires reimbursement for services provided by pre‑licensed clinicians under supervision.
Advocates and provider groups urged support. Kara Cheevers, vice president for coverage policy at Inseparable, summarized research cited by sponsors: "A 2025 U.S. Senate Finance Committee secret‑shopper survey found in Colorado only about half of calls to listed providers resulted in a possible appointment," she said, using that evidence to argue for directory verification standards. Veronica Bell of the Colorado Behavioral Health Care Council told the committee that many community clinics rely on pre‑licensed clinicians to deliver care and that commercial plans refusing to reimburse those clinicians worsen workforce bottlenecks.
Sponsors said the bill also aligns social‑work supervised‑hour requirements with the national social‑work compact by reducing a requirement cited in the introduced text from 3,360 hours to 3,000 hours, a change the National Association of Social Workers Colorado chapter said would modestly speed licensure without weakening practice standards.
Several committee members asked about fiscal effects. Rep. Brown, who co‑sponsored the bill, said legislative fiscal staff and the Department of Insurance continue to review the fiscal note but that sponsors and Appropriations staff believe some earlier appropriation requests may be unnecessary under the strike‑below language. The bill’s fiscal note as presented during testimony included a $30,000 placeholder for potential administrative work, which sponsors said may be revised.
The committee adopted sponsor amendments that add psychiatric nurse practitioners to covered professions and clarify electronic communications and verification timelines. After closing debate, Rep. Gilchrist moved HB1002 as amended to the Committee on Appropriations with a favorable recommendation; the committee reported that the bill passed by a 10–2 vote.
Next steps: HB1002 will be considered by the House Appropriations Committee, where its fiscal note and any funding requests will be resolved.
