New Hampshire SB 498: relative to children's mental health services for persons 18 years of age and younger.

Bill Text

SB 498-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2026 SESSION

 26-2064

 05/09

SENATE BILL 498-FN

AN ACT relative to children's mental health services for persons 18 years of age and younger.

SPONSORS: Sen. Birdsell, Dist 19

COMMITTEE: Health and Human Services

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ANALYSIS

 This bill establishes the New Hampshire children's behavioral health association for the purpose of collecting assessments to fund payments to care management entities for the provision of childhood behavioral health services. The association is authorized to collect assessments from insurance carriers, stop loss carriers, and third-party administrators for fully insured and self-funded health plans. The assessment base would include covered lives in the state employee health plan, as well as pooled risk management programs under RSA 5-b. The funds provided for this purpose would be deposited in a dedicated fund administered by the insurance commissioner.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

 Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

 26-2064

 05/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT relative to children's mental health services for persons 18 years of age and younger.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 1 New Subdivision; System of Care for Children's Mental Health; New Hampshire Children's Behavioral Health Association. Amend RSA 135-F by inserting after section 9 the following new subdivision:

New Hampshire Children's Mental Health Association

 135-F:10 Definitions. In this chapter:

 I. "Assessable coverage" means:

 (a) Health coverage as defined in RSA 420-G:2, IX;

 (b) Stop loss coverage that conforms with RSA 415-H:3, or other group excess loss insurance purchased against the risk that any particular claim, or total liability, will exceed a specified dollar amount; or

 (c) Group health plan, as defined by 42 U.S.C. section 300gg-91(a).

 II. "Assessable entity" means any:

 (a) Health maintenance organization, as defined by RSA 420-B:1, VI.

 (b) Third party administrator, as defined by RSA 402-H:1, I.

 (c) Entity providing administrator services and required to register with the insurance commissioner under RSA 402-H:11-a or RSA 402-H:11-b.

 (d) Insurance company licensed pursuant to RSA 401:1, IV.

 (e) Health service corporation, as defined by RSA 420-A:1, III.

 III. "Assessable lives" means all children under 19 years of age residing in the state who have assessable coverage written or administered by an assessable entity, with the exception of children whose childhood behavioral health services are paid for under Medicaid.

 IV. "Assessment" means the assessable entity's liability with respect to the childhood behavioral health services determined in accordance with this chapter. For purposes of rate setting and medical loss ratio calculations, all association assessments are considered pharmaceutical or medical benefit costs and not regulatory costs. In the event of any insolvency or similar proceeding affecting any payer, assessments shall be included in the highest priority of obligations to be paid by or on behalf of such payer.

 V. "Association" means the New Hampshire children's behavioral health association.

 VI. "Board" means the board of directors of the New Hampshire children's behavioral health association.

 VII. "Care management entity" means an organizational entity that serves as a centralized entity to coordinate all care for youth with complex behavioral health challenges who are involved in multiple systems and their families, as defined in RSA 135-F:4.

 VIII. "Childhood behavioral health services" mean any of the following services:

 (a) Behavioral health intensive in-home services, which are therapeutic interventions delivered to children and families in their homes and other community settings to improve child and family functioning and prevent out-of-home placement. The components of intensive in-home services include, but are not limited to individual and family therapy, skills training and behavioral interventions, functional supports, and family support and training.

 (b) Behavioral health intensive structured outpatient programs, which include short-term, clinically intensive, structured day or evening service for a child with a behavioral health disorder, and provides multidisciplinary treatment to address the subacute needs of children and youth, while allowing them to continue to work or attend school and be part of family life.

 (c) Intensive care coordination, including but not limited to evidence based approaches like a high-fidelity w