Kentucky and Maryland Enact Collaborative Care Payment Laws

Two more states move a proven model from pilot toward standard practice

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 2026): Two more states have passed laws to pay for the Collaborative Care Model, which brings mental health and substance use care into the primary care visit.

• Kentucky H.B. 178 requires commercial insurers and Medicaid to reimburse Collaborative Care codes. It passed both chambers with unanimous bipartisan support, was signed on April 13, and takes effect January 1, 2027.
• Maryland S.B. 428 eliminates out-of-pocket costs for Collaborative Care across Medicaid, HMOs, nonprofit health service plans, and commercial insurers. It was signed in May.

Path Forward partners the American Psychiatric Association and Shatterproof led the state advocacy. APA works through its district branches and state psychiatric associations to advance model Collaborative Care legislation, and it has been the field’s primary advocate for state payment reform.

Collaborative Care adds a behavioral health care manager and a consulting psychiatrist to the primary care team, and billing codes pay for the full model. With Tennessee’s law taking effect in January, momentum keeps building. Each new state brings the model closer to the everyday care people receive where they already see their doctor.