Jan 16, 2020
State Senators Jim Beall, D-San Jose, and Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, co-authored two bills that address California’s growing mental health and addiction crises — SB 854 and SB 855.
Strengthening the Mental Health Parity Act
Senate Bill 855 would strengthen the California Mental Health Parity Act, requiring insurance companies to cover all medically necessary treatment for mental health and substance use disorders. Currently, the law only requires commercial insurers to cover medically necessary treatment for nine severe mental illnesses.
Addressing Prior Authorization
Senate Bill 854 would prevent health plans from requiring prior authorization or step therapy when a patient needs an FDA-approved medication to treat a substance use disorder, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT). More than half of surveyed doctors in California have said that insurers’ restrictions on MAT make it hard for patients to get this life-saving treatment. Utilization nearly quadrupled when MediCal prohibited prior authorization for buprenorphine, a primary MAT medication.
View the SB 854 Mental Health Bill Fact Sheet
