HB 4070
Requires the Oregon Health Authority and coordinated care organizations to ensure that access to behavioral health treatment in the medical assistance program is comparable to access to medical and surgical treatment and that limitations are applied to behavioral health treatment no more stringently than to medical and surgical treatment.
Jurisdiction
Oregon
Session
2026 Regular Session
At the request of
(at the request of House Interim Committee on Behavioral Health for Representative Hai Pham)
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Sign in to take actionPublic sentiment
Support
92%
Oppose
8%
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Bill overview
This bill aims to ensure that people receiving medical assistance in Oregon have the same access to behavioral health treatment as they do to medical and surgical care. It requires the Oregon Health Authority and coordinated care organizations to treat behavioral health services similarly to other medical services, limiting restrictions on these treatments no more stringently than for medical care. The bill also makes changes to how certain healthcare providers are reimbursed and clarifies roles and responsibilities within the healthcare system.
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Cosponsor
House Interim Committee on Behavioral Health
Arguments in favor
Reasons to support this legislation.
The testifiers generally support House Bill 4070 with amendments, citing the need to improve crisis stabilization centers and unlicensed practitioners' roles in delivering behavioral health services. They emphasize the importance of flexibility and accessibility in meeting diverse community needs, while also prioritizing patient safety and quality of care through strong licensure standards for behavioral health providers. The proposed changes aim to reduce administrative burden, increase efficiency, and ensure 24/7 access to crisis stabilization centers across Oregon, with a focus on modernizing and clarifying Oregon's behavioral health statutes to strengthen the workforce, reduce waste, and improve access to timely care.
Source: Testimony Summaries
Arguments opposed
Reasons to oppose this legislation.
Opponents of the bill express concerns about its effectiveness and potential misallocation of resources. One key concern is the lack of concrete outcomes data supporting the proposed enhancements to Oregon's Health Plan (OHP) for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) coverage, which they argue has been ineffective in the state's current system. Additionally, some testifiers question the bill's allocation of taxpayer dollars to support Indian Tribes, suggesting that these funds would be more appropriately granted through the U.S. Department of the Interior's Indian Affairs department, rather than being conferred directly by the Oregon legislature.
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