Senate committee advances bill to speed credentialing and curb 'ghost networks' for mental‑health providers

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee on March 29 voted to advance House Bill 26‑1002, a measure sponsors said would improve access to behavioral health by setting clearer timeliness and verification standards for insurer credentialing and network directories.

Sponsors Senator Pelton and Senator Ball described the bill’s main components: a 60‑day deadline for credentialing mental‑health and substance‑use providers, an annual confirmation requirement for insurer provider participation to reduce so‑called “ghost networks,” reimbursement for supervised pre‑license clinicians, and a reduction in the supervised‑hours requirement for social‑work licensure from 3,360 hours to 3,000 hours.

Kara Cheevers, vice president of coverage policy at the advocacy organization Inseparable, urged support and described credentialing as a barrier that can take from one day to more than seven months; she warned that delays harm patients and staff. “This bill tackles a problem many Coloradans know all too well,” Cheevers said, citing a study she summarized that found Coloradans are significantly more likely to see an out‑of‑network therapist than a comparable physical‑health specialist.

Advocates representing rural providers and consumer groups said the bill would help recruit and retain clinicians in underserved areas. Kelly Herb Zager of the Colorado Rural Health Center said credentialing delays place small rural practices at risk and that reimbursement for supervised trainees would make hiring new clinicians more sustainable. Amanda Carlson of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative told senators inaccurate directories and slow credentialing reduce in‑network options and increase out‑of‑pocket costs for families.

Not all testimony was uniformly celebratory. Kate Rawlinson, representing Colorado Mad Moms, supported the bill’s goals but urged the committee to revisit a House amendment (L001) that she said lengthened the time insurers have to clean up directories from six months to 12 months, creating a gap between the bill’s effective date and meaningful directory accuracy. “Amendment L001 now gives carriers 12 months to contact their providers,” Rawlinson said, adding that in practice this change would prolong confusion for families seeking care.

Sponsors said stakeholder work produced revisions that many groups support and urged an aye vote. The committee moved HB 26‑1002 to the committee of the whole with a favorable recommendation and placed it on the consent calendar for further action.

Next steps: HB 26‑1002 will be considered by the committee of the whole on the Senate floor; proponents and opponents may press for further amendments during that stage.