Colorado bill would make it harder for insurance companies to deny coverage for mental health care
A bill that makes it harder for insurance companies to deny coverage for mental health care passed in the Colorado House on Monday.
Under federal law, insurers are required to treat physical and mental health care in the same way, but state Sen. Judy Amabile, the sponsor of the bill, says that many insurers are refusing to cover mental health care based on what their definition of what's medically necessary.
The Democrat from Boulder County's bill would establish a standard definition of medical necessity based on criteria developed by mental health professionals.
"Sometimes that person (struggling with mental health issues) is released before they're really ready, and that results in this churn where people are in and out of hospital settings and in and out of homelessness and for some people -- tragically -- in and out of jail," Amabile said.
The bill also requires insurers that deny care based on medical necessity to provide the criteria they used to make that decision.
The measure passed the House with bipartisan support and is headed to the state Senate.
