Bill Text: NJ A5726 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides for free mental health screen tool and reimbursements to certain mental health care providers; appropriates $15 million from available federal funds.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-05-17 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee [A5726 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A5726-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman LOUIS D. GREENWALD
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Provides for free mental health screen tool and reimbursements to certain mental health care providers; appropriates $15 million from available federal funds.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning COVID-19, mental health screenings, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. (1) The Department of Human Services shall develop and maintain on its Internet website a free, online mental health screening tool for individuals under the age of 18 to determine if such individuals should seek mental health care. If the mental health screening tool determines that an individual should seek mental health care, the Internet website of the Department of Health shall automatically link the individual to mental health care providers who: possess relevant expertise and specialties; are within close geographic proximity to the individual; and accept the individual's health care insurance.
(2) The Department of Human Services shall conduct a public awareness campaign regarding the mental health screen tool established pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection and the COVID-19 Mental Health Screening Reimbursement Program established pursuant to subsection b. of this section and disseminate such information to mental health care providers and schools. The Department of Human Services shall encourage mental health care providers and schools to promote the mental health screening tool and urge students use the mental health screening tool.
b. (1) There is hereby established in the Department of Human Services the COVID-19 Mental Health Screening Reimbursement Program. The program shall award reimbursements from available funds to licensed mental health care providers who conduct in-person or virtual mental health visits with individuals under the age of 18 in this State due to potential mental health issues suffered by the individuals as a result of conditions and events surrounding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.
(2) The Commissioner of Human Services shall develop an application and determine required documentation which a mental health care provider shall submit to the department in order to be preauthorized for reimbursement and to receive actual reimbursement for no more than three mental health visits per patient under the COVID-19 Mental Health Screening Reimbursement Program. The commissioner shall provide notice of the availability of funding for this program and make the application available on the department's Internet website. Upon receipt of an application, the commissioner shall review the application and, subject to the availability of funds, preauthorize reimbursement to each approved applicant.
(3) The Commissioner of Human Services shall determine one standard rate of reimbursement per mental health care visit for all health care providers participating in the COVID-19 Mental Health Screening Reimbursement Program for both in-person and virtual visits. The commissioner shall reimburse mental health care providers participating in the COVID-19 Mental Health Screening Reimbursement Program the full standard rate for each approved mental health care visit minus any compensation received by the mental health care provider from a health care insurance company or the patient.
c. The Commissioner of Human Services shall maintain the confidentiality of any information received pursuant to the provisions of this act in accordance with federal and State privacy laws.
2. There is appropriated $15,000,000 from available federal COVID-19 relief funds to the Department of Human Services to fulfill the provisions of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the distribution of the monies appropriated by this act.
STATEMENT
This bill provides for a free mental health screen tool and reimbursements to certain mental health care providers.
Under the bill, the Department of Human Services (department) is to develop and maintain on its Internet website a free, online mental health screening tool for individuals under the age of 18 to determine if such individuals should seek mental health care. The department is to develop and maintain on its Internet website a free, online mental health screening tool for individuals under the age of 18 to determine if such individuals should seek mental health care. If the mental health screening tool determines that an individual should seek mental health care, the Internet website of the department is to automatically link the individual to mental health care providers who: possess relevant expertise and specialties; are within close geographic proximity to the individual; and accept the individual's health care insurance.
The department is to conduct a public awareness campaign regarding the mental health screen tool and the COVID-19 Mental Health Screening Reimbursement Program established pursuant to the bill's provisions and disseminate such information to mental health care providers and schools. The department is to encourage mental health care providers and schools to promote the mental health screening tool and urge students use the mental health screening tool.
The COVID-19 Mental Health Screening Reimbursement Program (program) is to award reimbursements from available federal funds to licensed mental health care providers who conduct in-person or virtual mental health visits with individuals under the age of 18 in this State due to potential mental health issues suffered by the individuals as a result of conditions and events surrounding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.
The Commissioner of Human Services (commissioner) is to develop an application and determine required documentation which a mental health care provider is to submit to the department in order to be preauthorized for reimbursement and to receive actual reimbursement for no more than three mental health visits per patient under the program.
The commissioner is to determine one standard rate of reimbursement per mental health care visit for all health care providers participating in the program for both in-person and virtual visits. The commissioner is to reimburse mental health care providers participating in the program the full standard rate for each approved mental health care visit minus any compensation received by the mental health care provider from a health care insurance company or the patient.
The bill appropriates $15,000,000 from available federal COVID-19 relief funds to fulfill the bill's provisions.
