Mental health parity.

WORKING DRAFT
2012
STATE OF
WYOMING
12LSO-0314

HOUSE BILL
NO.
HB0122

Mental health parity.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Craft, Barbuto and Connolly and Senator(s) Hastert

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to health insurance; mandating coverage for specified mental illnesses under health insurance policies issued in the state; specifying applicability; providing a definition; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of
Wyoming
:

Section 1.

W.S. 26
‑
20
‑
401 is created to read:

ARTICLE 4
INSURANCE FOR MENTAL ILLNESS

26
‑
20
‑
401.

Required provision of individual or group policy or contract.

(a)

All individual or group health insurance policies providing coverage on an expense incurred basis, individual and group service or indemnity type health insurance contracts issued by any insurer, including any nonprofit corporation and individual and group service contracts issued by a health maintenance organization, shall provide coverage for the treatment of mental illness that is no less extensive than the coverage provided for any other physical illness. Private third party payors shall not eliminate coverage due to the requirements of this section.

(b)

As used in this section, "mental illness" means

an illness
which
is
diagnos
ed
by a licensed psychiatrist or licensed clinical psychologist meeting criteria established in the most recent edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association.

(c)

This section shall not apply to group health plans issued to employers with twenty-five (25) or fewer employees.

Section 2.

This act shall only apply to any individual or group health insurance policy or plan that is
delivered, issued, renewed, modified, amended or extended on or after July 1, 201
2
. The provisions of this act do not supercede or take precedence over federal laws governing health insurance plans.

Section 3.

This act is effective July 1, 2012.

(END)

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HB0122