The Children’s Partnership has created a fact sheet to help youth 12 and older better understand their new right, established through AB 665, which allows them to consent to outpatient mental health services and bill their existing Medi-Cal insurance.
AB 665 was a bill created by youth and for youth to bridge a gap between Medi-Cal and privately insured youth in accessing minor consent mental health services. Minors’ right to consent to outpatient mental health care was established through a prior bill, SB 543. However, SB 543 created a higher standard of need for youth on Medi-Cal in order for the provider to bill Medi-Cal for mental health care services. This fundamentally unfair double standard meant that low-income youth were required to wait until they were experiencing a mental health crisis before they could receive confidential, Medi-Cal-covered care.
AB 665 changed that. Now minors have the ability to consent to and use their existing Medi-Cal insurance to cover outpatient mental health services without needing their parents’ authorization, just like privately insured youth. This will greatly benefit youth across California by increasing access to timely services for historically marginalized youth, including BIPOC and LGBTQ youth.
This fact sheet offers:
- Guidance on accessing and navigating mental health services for youth on Medi-Cal
- A simple and easy-to-read explanation of AB 665: Mental Health Consent Parity for Medi-Cal Recipients
- Medi-Cal assistance
- Information on what youth can do if they are denied services
AB 665 was co-sponsored by The Children’s Partnership, California Alliance of Child and Family Services, California Children’s Trust, Cal Voices, GENup, and the National Center for Youth Law.
