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HB 5497

AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE -- INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR MENTAL ILLNESS AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Edith Ajello and 9 co-sponsors

Creates a three-year pilot program, funded from external sources, to expand infant and early childhood mental health services through a centralized hub for training, network buildi

03/18/2025 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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Bill Summary · HB 5497

Summary — HB 5497 (2025)

Title: AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE -- INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR MENTAL ILLNESS AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS
Introduced: February 13, 2025 (Reps. Fogarty, Carson, Dawson, Cortvriend, Noret, Kazarian, Donovan, Alzate, Ajello, McGaw)
Current status: Committee recommended measure be held for further study (03/18/2025)

Purpose / intent

HB 5497 creates an "Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Hub" pilot program to expand access to mental health services for children under age six and their families. The bill cites rising rates of serious emotional disturbance among young children on Medicaid (10% in 2017 → 22% in 2024) and a shortage of clinicians trained in early childhood, dyadic, and developmentally appropriate therapies.

Key provisions

  • Adds a new section (27-38.2-7) to the Rhode Island insurance code establishing an early childhood mental health hub administered by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS).
  • Directs EOHHS to develop a budget and seek federal, philanthropic, or other funding to establish the hub as a pilot program for a minimum of three years.
  • Hub responsibilities include:
    • Training and supporting infant/early childhood mental health professionals.
    • Maintaining a registry of such professionals and their qualifications.
    • Monitoring service availability, national recommendations, and therapeutic advances.
    • Making recommendations to Medicaid and behavioral health systems to address gaps.
  • Hub design must integrate with Rhode Island’s children's behavioral health system.
  • Early priorities (from the state infant/early childhood mental health plan) include:
    • Training and implementation support for evidence-based, family-based dyadic therapies for children under six (examples named: Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC)); consider train‑the‑trainer models.
    • Training on developmentally appropriate screening and assessment adapted to developmental, cultural, and family needs.
    • Advancing equitable access, reducing racial/ethnic disparities, and increasing bilingual and culturally representative clinicians.
    • Serving as a resource for families and professionals to connect with effective services.
  • Effective date: upon passage.

Who is affected

  • Children under six and their families seeking mental-health screening, assessment, and dyadic therapies.
  • Mental health clinicians and providers (training, registry, workforce development).
  • EOHHS and Medicaid/behavioral health systems (coordination, potential policy recommendations).
  • Payers only indirectly: the bill directs EOHHS to seek funding rather than imposing immediate insurance mandates.

Implementation, timeline & funding

  • Pilot program: minimum three-year duration.
  • Funding must be sought (federal, philanthropic, or other); no dedicated state appropriation is specified in the bill.
  • EOHHS will develop the budget and program design and align the hub with existing systems.

Potential impact and considerations

  • Expected benefits: increased workforce capacity for infant/early childhood mental health, improved access to evidence-based dyadic therapies, better screening/assessment, and potential reduction in disparities.
  • Key challenges: securing sustainable funding, building training capacity, measurable evaluation of pilot outcomes, and ensuring integration with Medicaid payment mechanisms and provider networks.
  • Fiscal impacts are not specified; implementation depends on funding awarded or appropriated.

Legislative status / actions

  • Introduced 02/13/2025; referred to House Health & Human Services.
  • Read first time 04/07/2025; referred to Public Health.
  • Committee recommended measure be held for further study on 03/18/2025.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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