Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Insurance Coverage Protection Act

This bill: 

• Adds new parts to the 1931 Code of West Virginia, to create the “Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Insurance Coverage Protection Act.”

  • 1931 Code of West Virginia: a set of laws with rules that everyone in West Virginia has to follow.

• Makes certain insurance plans to pay for treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, which are struggles with your mind or with using things like drugs or alcohol that make it hard to live a healthy life.

• Makes insurance companies stick to rules that are generally used to decide if a treatment is needed.

• Gets rid of optional parts in insurance agreements that let insurance companies avoid following the rules.

• Stops insurance companies from putting limits on treatments for medical challenges that last a long time. 

• Forces insurance companies to pay for services when there aren't any options available in what they usually pay for.

• Prohibits excluding coverage based on what's available through public entitlement programs.

• Includes punishments for insurance companies that break these rules.

• Makes paperwork proving that a treatment is needed, match what is generally accepted.

• Stops insurance from having rules that cancel out and go against the new rules in this bill. 

• If this bill is passed, these changes start for insurance plans started or extended on or after January 1, 2026.