California Senate Bill 855 Health Coverage: Mental Health Or Substance Use Disorders

On September 25, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom  signed Senate Bill (SB) 855, Health coverage: mental health or substance use disorders, into law. The law increases health and disability insurers’ coverage obligations for mental health and addiction diagnosis, prevention, and treatment in the state. SB 855 expands mental health parity by extending its application to all medically necessary mental health and substance abuse addiction treatment. The law also provides new medical necessity standards and mandates criteria for clinical guidelines for assessing medical necessity . . .