Relating to health care; and prescribing an effective date.

The effective date for the new telehealth reimbursement provisions was set to January 1, 2027, while other changes take effect after the legislative session adjourns.

The bill now explicitly defines which providers are eligible to be reimbursed for health services delivered via telemedicine.

New statutes were added to the bill to address quality reviews for coordinated care organizations and to update terminology related to behavioral health.

The bill text was updated to include Senate amendments and to list additional ORS sections (including 743A.012 and 743A.168) that are being amended.

Changed the requirement for access to behavioral health treatment to be 'comparable to' medical and surgical treatment, rather than just 'no more burdensome than,' and added that limitations must be applied no more stringently.

Added new definitions for 'behavioral health coverage,' 'mental health treatment and services,' and 'nonquantitative treatment limitation' to clarify what is covered under the law.

Added a prohibition preventing the authority or external reviewers from penalizing coordinated care organizations based on documents or templates created by the authority itself.

Removed the text stating that community mental health programs are not responsible for emergency psychiatric care costs when state funds are exhausted.

Updated the bill's scope to amend a wider range of ORS sections, including new additions and repeals of specific statutes.