Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced Thursday that mental health care is a top priority as she pushed for lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 498, which would expand insurance coverage for children’s mental health services. On Wednesday, Ayotte said the House Commerce Committee was wrong to reject SB 498 and retain it for further study.
“If you care about children and you care about our commitment to mental health, then this bill is a no-brainer,” Ayotte said. Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Weaver agreed, stating “We know that we have a good portion of our youth who have insurance but can’t get coverage, and then that falls on the state to fill that gap.”
Ayotte openly criticized Anthem and other insurance companies, saying they should be covering support for children with mental health issues. “Our insurers — Anthem, the largest, but others as well — have been dragging their feet on this,” Ayotte said. Anthem responded in a statement to News 9, saying the company remains committed to ensuring children have access to “high-quality, coordinated behavioral health care” but expressed concerns with SB 498. The company stated the bill would “create a nonprofit board to assess new fees on commercially insured customers” to fund services with “two Medicaid-contracted care-management entities.”
Ayotte expressed hope that Mental Health Awareness Month in May can help reduce stigma and provide proper resources for children facing mental health challenges, signaling her administration’s ongoing commitment to expanding mental health support for the state’s youth.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.wmur.com/article/ayotte-insurance-children-mental-health-5726/71242370