Requiring PEIA and other health insurance providers to provide payment parity for certain services

HB 4061 requires West Virginia's Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) and other health insurers to pay mental health and behavioral health providers the same rate as medical/surgical providers for comparable services. This applies to licensed practitioners (like therapists and counselors) covered under the bill’s definitions of "serious mental illness." Insurers must submit claims using standard codes and identifiers, and cannot reduce payments to physicians to comply with this law. The bill directly affects mental health providers and insurers by mandating equal reimbursement rates for services like therapy and counseling, aligning them with physical health care payments.