House Bill 55

Create a new section of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304 to define terms; require certain health insurance policies to provide coverage for an annual mental health wellness examination of at least 45 minutes provided by a mental health professional; require the coverage to be no less extensive than coverage for medical and surgical benefits; require the coverage to comply with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008; provide that coverage shall not be subject to cost-sharing requirements; amend KRS 164.2871 to require self-insured employer group health plans provided by the governing board of a state postsecondary education institution to comply with the mental health wellness examination coverage requirement; amend KRS 205.522 to require the Medicaid benefits to comply with the mental health wellness examination coverage requirement; amend KRS 205.6485 to require the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program to comply with the mental health examination coverage requirement; amend KRS 18A.225 to require the state employee health plan to comply with the mental health coverage requirement; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to seek federal approval if they determine that such approval is necessary; EFFECTIVE, in part, January 1, 2023.