Whitmer signs bill requiring equal insurance coverage for mental health treatment

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Tuesday expanding requirements for insurance providers in Michigan to provide coverage for mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment at the same level as medical coverage.

Backers of the bill say it will expand access to mental health treatment.

Senate Bill 27, introduced by Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, bars insurance providers from imposing greater financial or quantitative restrictions on mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment coverage in their plans than they would for medical coverage. Essentially, this means an insurance provider could not place greater deductibles, co-payments, or out-of-pocket maximums on a mental health coverage plan than it would for a medical coverage plan.

Insurance providers also can no longer place greater quantitative restrictions on mental health and substance abuse disorder coverage than on medical coverage. Quantitative restrictions refer to coverage limits on frequency of treatment, number of visits, days of coverage and in a waiting period, and other limits on the scope or duration of treatment.

More: A federal law demands mental health care parity. Why don't kids in Michigan get it?

The legislation puts Michigan's requirements parallel with the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.

SB 27 passed both chambers of the Michigan Legislature by wide, bipartisan margins. Whitmer signed the bill in Lansing on Tuesday, at an event that was livestreamed by local TV station WILX.

"Right now, there are too many loopholes that allow providers to avoid paying for certain medical mental health treatments," Whitmer said.

The legislation was supported by several health insurance providers and industry advocacy groups, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the Michigan Association of Health Plans and the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan, among others, according to an analysis of the bill done by the House Fiscal Agency.

A bill to require insurance plans to provide mental health coverage services remains under consideration in the state House — House Bill 4707, introduced by Rep. Felicia Brabec, D-Pittsfield Township, would require companies to provide coverage for medically necessary treatment of mental health issues. The bill was reported from a House committee last year, but hasn't been taken up for a vote in the chamber yet.

"Ultimately, I'm just looking forward to doing as much as we possibly can to fix this crisis," Anthony said, lending support for HB 4707, although the House would have to pass the bill before it could be voted on in the Senate.

While mental health advocates have signaled support for the House bill, representatives from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Michigan Association of Health Plans testified in opposition to HB 4707, according to a legislative analysis.

Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com. Follow him on X (Twitter) @arpanlobo.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Whitmer signs bill requiring equal mental health coverage