House File 2142 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2142 BY M. SMITH A BILL FOR An Act relating to reimbursement of certain mental health 1 and substance-related disorder service providers under 2 the medical assistance program’s managed care or prepaid 3 services contracts and including effective date provisions. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 5424YH (3) 85 jp/nh

H.F. 2142 Section 1. Section 249A.4, Code 2014, is amended by adding 1 the following new subsection: 2 NEW SUBSECTION . 16. a. Ensure that the terms of any 3 contract for managed care or prepaid services for mental 4 health or substance-related disorders under the Medicaid 5 program shall provide reimbursement for the mental health or 6 substance-related disorder services provided by a mental health 7 professional within the professional’s scope of practice. 8 b. Ensure that the terms of any contract for managed care 9 or prepaid services for substance-related disorders under 10 the Medicaid program shall provide reimbursement for the 11 services provided by a person who holds a temporary license in 12 mental health counseling and is providing services through a 13 substance-related disorder program licensed under chapter 125. 14 c. For the purposes of this subsection, “mental health 15 professional” means the same as defined in section 228.1 and 16 “temporary license in mental health counseling” means the same 17 as described in section 154D.7. 18 Sec. 2. CONTRACT AMENDMENT. The department of human 19 services shall amend its contracts for managed care or prepaid 20 services for mental health and substance-related disorders 21 under the Medicaid program in existence as of the effective 22 date of this Act to implement the requirements of section 23 249A.4, subsection 16, as enacted by this Act, and the 24 amendments shall take effect on or before July 1, 2014. 25 Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE UPON ENACTMENT. This Act, being deemed of 26 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment. 27 EXPLANATION 28 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 29 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 30 This bill relates to reimbursement of certain mental health 31 and substance-related disorder service providers under the 32 medical assistance (Medicaid) program’s managed care or prepaid 33 services contracts. 34 Code section 249A.4, relating to the duties of the 35 -1- LSB 5424YH (3) 85 jp/nh 1/ 2

H.F. 2142 director of human services under the Medicaid Code chapter, is 1 amended. The director is required to ensure that the terms 2 of such contracts for mental health or substance-related 3 disorders provide reimbursement for the mental health or 4 substance-related disorder services provided by a mental health 5 professional within the professional’s scope of practice. In 6 addition, the director must ensure that such terms provide 7 reimbursement for the services provided by a person who holds a 8 temporary license in mental health counseling and is providing 9 services through a substance-related disorder program licensed 10 under Code chapter 125. 11 The bill references the definition of “mental health 12 professional” as defined in Code section 228.1, which includes 13 persons with at least a master’s degree in a mental health 14 field, including but not limited to psychology, counseling 15 and guidance, nursing, and social work, or is an advanced 16 registered nurse practitioner, a physician assistant, or a 17 physician and surgeon or an osteopathic physician and surgeon, 18 holds a current Iowa license if practicing in a field covered 19 by an Iowa licensure law, and a certain amount of postdegree 20 experience. The term “temporary license in mental health 21 counseling”, as described in Code section 154D.7, is also used 22 in the bill. The term is used to describe a person who has 23 met all of the requirements for licensing as a mental health 24 counselor under Code chapter 154D, except for having completed 25 the postgraduate supervised clinical experience requirement as 26 determined by the board of behavioral science. 27 The department is required to amend its contracts for 28 managed care or prepaid services for mental health or 29 substance-related disorders under the Medicaid program as in 30 existence as of the bill’s effective date to implement the 31 requirements of Code section 249A.4, subsection 16, as enacted 32 by the bill. The amendments are required to take effect on or 33 before July 1, 2014. 34 The bill takes effect upon enactment. 35 -2- LSB 5424YH (3) 85 jp/nh 2/ 2