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H7630AHealth Insurance

Insurance - Accident and Sickness Insurance Policies

This bill expands health insurance coverage mandates for youth mental health crisis services up to age 21.

Introduced73 Yea0 Nay2 Not voting
Population
Affected
25
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 11, 2026Committee House Health & Human Services

Plain-English Summary

This bill updates the requirements for health insurance coverage regarding acute mental health crisis mobile response and stabilization services. It expands the eligible age group to include children and youth up to age 21, instead of capping it at age 18. It also changes the requirement for providers from being "certified" to being "licensed." Additionally, it requires insurance companies to reimburse these licensed providers at rates equal to or higher than the state Medicaid rate beginning October 1, 2026.

For younger readers

Sometimes kids and young adults go through really tough times and need immediate help from mental health doctors or counselors. This bill changes the rules for health insurance, which is how people pay for doctor visits. It says that insurance must pay for this special emergency help for young people up to 21 years old, instead of stopping at age 18. It also says that the people helping must have a special license from the state, and it tells the insurance companies how much they have to pay these helpers.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Youth and young adults up to age 21Mental health professionalsHealth insurance companiesParents and familiesBehavioral health organizations
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely. The bill regulates health insurance coverage and provider reimbursement rates, which falls well within the state's traditional regulatory authority over the insurance industry and public health. It does not implicate free speech, due process, or unreasonable search and seizure concerns.

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Expands crucial mental health crisis services to young adults up to age 21, ensuring a more generous social safety net for vulnerable youth transitioning into adulthood.
  • Mandates that insurers reimburse providers at or above the state Medicaid rate, which supports a living wage for behavioral health workers and strengthens the public health infrastructure.
  • Ensures that crisis intervention and stabilization services are covered by health insurance, reducing out-of-pocket costs for families and making mental health care more accessible to those who are economically disadvantaged.
  • The bill exempts several types of limited benefit policies from having to provide this coverage, which could leave some low-income families who rely on these alternative plans without adequate mental health crisis support.
  • By shifting the requirement from "certified" to "licensed" providers, the bill might inadvertently restrict the pool of available mental health workers, potentially exacerbating provider shortages in underserved communities.
  • The mandated reimbursement rates equal to or greater than Medicaid do not take effect until October 2026, delaying crucial financial support for mental health providers and the communities they serve.
For Conservatives
  • Promotes family stability and traditional social values by providing resources to address extreme parent/child conflict and behavioral issues in the home.
  • Ensures that mental health professionals providing these services are strictly licensed by the state, maintaining high professional standards and protecting consumers from unqualified practitioners.
  • Exempts various supplemental and limited-benefit insurance policies from the mandate, preserving corporate freedom for insurers offering these specific products.
  • Imposes new government mandates on private health insurance companies, restricting corporate freedom by dictating what services they must cover and how much they must pay.
  • Expands the definition of "youth" to include adults up to age 21, extending dependence on child-focused services rather than encouraging personal responsibility and independence in young adults.
  • Pegs private insurance reimbursement rates to government Medicaid rates, representing an inappropriate government intrusion into private free-market pricing and contracting.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions
Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 40 additions · 20 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 27-18-95 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-18 entitled "Accident and Sickness Insurance Policies" is hereby amended to read as follows: 27-18-95. Acute mental health crisis mobile response and stabilization services. [Effective January 1, 2026.]

(a) As used in this section, “mobile response and stabilization services” means a behavioral health crisis intervention system providing immediate de-escalation, stabilization services, and follow-up care, provided by a certified licensed provider. These services are delivered to provide rapid response to, assessment of, and early intervention for a child or youth eighteen (18) years of age and younger children and youth up to the age of twenty-one (21) experiencing an acute mental health crisis. Symptoms might include, but are not limited to:

(1) Aggression;

(2) Self-injury;

(3) Trauma;

(4) Acute depression/anxiety;

(5) Challenges at school; Suicidal or homicidal thoughts/behaviors; and

(6) Extreme parent/child conflict. Mobile response and stabilization services are provided by “certified licensed providers” meaning licensed behavioral health organizations providing outpatient services, which have demonstrated expertise in delivering child-specific mobile response and stabilization services, and have obtained relevant state licensure or certification.

(b) Every individual or group health insurance contract, or every individual or group hospital or medical expense insurance policy, plan, or group policy delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2026, shall provide coverage for mobile response and stabilization services, consistent with the core components of the mobile crisis model, and in accordance with the insurer’s existing reimbursement, credentialing, and contracting processes, provided any utilization review processes do not limit timely access or fidelity to the model.

(c) This section shall not apply to insurance coverage providing benefits for:

(1) Hospital confinement indemnity;

(2) Disability income;

(3) Accident only;

(4) Long-term care;

(5) Medicare supplement;

(6) Limited benefit health;

(7) Specified disease indemnity;

(8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; and

(9) Other limited benefit policies.

(d) Insurers shall reimburse licensed providers for mobile response and stabilization services as defined in this section at rates of reimbursement equal to or greater than the prevailing integrated state Medicaid rate for mobile response and stabilization services on or after October 1, 2026, using the state Medicaid payment methodology as established by the executive office of health and human services.

SECTION 2. Section 27-19-87 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-19 entitled "Nonprofit Hospital Service Corporations" is hereby amended to read as follows: 27-19-87. Acute mental health crisis mobile response and stabilization services. [Effective January 1, 2026.]

(a) As used in this section, “mobile response and stabilization services” means a behavioral health crisis intervention system providing immediate de-escalation, stabilization services, and follow-up care, provided by a certified licensed provider. These services are delivered to provide rapid response to, assessment of, and early intervention for a child or youth eighteen (18) years of age and younger children and youth up to the age of twenty-one (21) experiencing an acute mental health crisis. Symptoms might include, but are not limited to:

(1) Aggression;

(2) Self-injury;

(3) Trauma;

(4) Acute depression/anxiety;

(5) Challenges at school; Suicidal or homicidal thoughts/behaviors; and

(6) Extreme parent/child conflict. Mobile response and stabilization services are provided by “certified licensed providers” meaning licensed behavioral health organizations providing outpatient services, which have demonstrated expertise in delivering child-specific mobile response and stabilization services, and have obtained relevant state licensure or certification.

(b) Every individual or group health insurance contract, or every individual or group hospital or medical expense insurance policy, plan, or group policy delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2026, shall provide coverage for mobile response and stabilization services, consistent with the core components of the mobile crisis model, and in accordance with the insurer’s existing reimbursement, credentialing, and contracting processes, provided any utilization review processes do not limit timely access or fidelity to the model.

(c) This section shall not apply to insurance coverage providing benefits for:

(1) Hospital confinement indemnity;

(2) Disability income;

(3) Accident only;

(4) Long-term care;

(5) Medicare supplement;

(6) Limited benefit health;

(7) Specified disease indemnity;

(8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; and

(9) Other limited benefit policies.

(d) Insurers shall reimburse licensed providers for mobile response and stabilization services as defined in this section at rates of reimbursement equal to or greater than the prevailing integrated state Medicaid rate for mobile response and stabilization services on or after October 1, 2026, using the state Medicaid payment methodology as established by the executive office of health and human services.

SECTION 3. Section 27-20-83 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-20 entitled "Nonprofit Medical Service Corporations" is hereby amended to read as follows: 27-20-83. Acute mental health crisis mobile response and stabilization services. [Effective January 1, 2026.]

(a) As used in this section, “mobile response and stabilization services” means a behavioral health crisis intervention system providing immediate de-escalation, stabilization services, and follow-up care, provided by a certified licensed provider. These services are delivered to provide rapid response to, assessment of, and early intervention for a child or youth eighteen (18) years of age and younger children and youth up to the age of twenty-one (21) experiencing an acute mental health crisis. Symptoms might include, but are not limited to:

(1) Aggression;

(2) Self-injury;

(3) Trauma;

(4) Acute depression/anxiety;

(5) Challenges at school; Suicidal or homicidal thoughts/behaviors; and

(6) Extreme parent/child conflict. Mobile response and stabilization services are provided by “certified licensed providers” meaning licensed behavioral health organizations providing outpatient services, which have demonstrated expertise in delivering child-specific mobile response and stabilization services, and have obtained relevant state licensure or certification.

(b) Every individual or group health insurance contract, or every individual or group hospital or medical expense insurance policy, plan, or group policy delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2026, shall provide coverage for mobile response and stabilization services, consistent with the core components of the mobile crisis model, and in accordance with the insurer’s existing reimbursement, credentialing, and contracting processes, provided any utilization review processes do not limit timely access or fidelity to the model.

(c) This section shall not apply to insurance coverage providing benefits for:

(1) Hospital confinement indemnity;

(2) Disability income;

(3) Accident only;

(4) Long-term care;

(5) Medicare supplement;

(6) Limited benefit health;

(7) Specified disease indemnity;

(8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; and

(9) Other limited benefit policies.

(d) Insurers shall reimburse licensed providers for mobile response and stabilization services as defined in this section at rates of reimbursement equal to or greater than the prevailing integrated state Medicaid rate for mobile response and stabilization services on or after October 1, 2026, using the state Medicaid payment methodology as established by the executive office of health and human services.

SECTION 4. Section 27-41-100 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-41 entitled "Health Maintenance Organizations" is hereby amended to read as follows: 27-41-100. Acute mental health crisis mobile response and stabilization services. [Effective January 1, 2026.]

(a) As used in this section, “mobile response and stabilization services” means a behavioral health crisis intervention system providing immediate de-escalation, stabilization services, and follow-up care, provided by a certified licensed provider. These services are delivered to provide rapid response to, assessment of, and early intervention for a child or youth eighteen (18) years of age and younger children and youth up to the age of twenty-one (21) experiencing an acute mental health crisis. Symptoms might include, but are not limited to:

(1) Aggression;

(2) Self-injury;

(3) Trauma;

(4) Acute depression/anxiety;

(5) Challenges at school; Suicidal or homicidal thoughts/behaviors; and

(6) Extreme parent/child conflict. Mobile response and stabilization services are provided by “certified licensed providers” meaning licensed behavioral health organizations providing outpatient services, which have demonstrated expertise in delivering child-specific mobile response and stabilization services, and have obtained relevant state licensure or certification.

(b) Every individual or group health insurance contract, or every individual or group hospital or medical expense insurance policy, plan, or group policy delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2026, shall provide coverage for mobile response and stabilization services, consistent with the core components of the mobile crisis model, and in accordance with the insurer’s existing reimbursement, credentialing, and contracting processes, provided any utilization review processes do not limit timely access or fidelity to the model.

(c) This section shall not apply to insurance coverage providing benefits for:

(1) Hospital confinement indemnity;

(2) Disability income;

(3) Accident only;

(4) Long-term care;

(5) Medicare supplement;

(6) Limited benefit health;

(7) Specified disease indemnity;

(8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; and

(9) Other limited benefit policies.

(d) Insurers shall reimburse licensed providers for mobile response and stabilization services as defined in this section at rates of reimbursement equal to or greater than the prevailing integrated state Medicaid rate for mobile response and stabilization services on or after October 1, 2026, using the state Medicaid payment methodology as established by the executive office of health and human services.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage.