An Act to amend and reenact § 38.2-3414.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to health insurance; coverage for maternal mental health screenings.
HB1400 amends Virginia’s health insurance mandate for obstetrical benefits to require coverage for maternal mental health screenings and postpartum services. The bill defines “maternal mental health” as a mental health condition occurring during pregnancy or the postpartum period, including postpartum depression, and requires insurers, health service plans, and HMOs that cover obstetrical services to provide this coverage.
The bill specifies that covered services must include at least one screening during pregnancy, at least one screening in the first six weeks after delivery, and additional postpartum screenings when medically necessary and clinically appropriate. It also requires coverage for FDA-approved prescription drugs used to treat maternal mental health conditions and limits prior authorization for those drugs unless there are clinically significant safety or efficacy concerns. The mandate applies to policies and plans delivered, issued, reissued, or renewed in Virginia on and after January 1, 2027.
The bill expands Virginia insurance law by adding a specific maternal mental health coverage requirement to § 38.2-3414.1. It affects individual and group hospital, medical, major medical, and health care plans that provide obstetrical benefits, while excluding certain limited policies and Medicare-related or similar government coverage. Insurers will need to ensure compliance with the new screening, postpartum service, and prescription drug coverage requirements for applicable policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded vote debate, but the bill’s enactment as Chapter 840 indicates it received sufficient support to pass and become law. The measure appears to have been treated as a health coverage expansion focused on maternal and postpartum care, a policy area that is generally associated with improving access to treatment and early intervention. Because no discussion snippets are provided, there is no evidence of organized opposition in the record supplied.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Based on the text, potential areas of concern could include the cost of mandated coverage for insurers, the scope of required screenings and postpartum services, and the restriction on prior authorization for FDA-approved medications. However, the record here does not identify any legislators, insurers, or advocacy groups raising those issues.