North Carolina 2025 Session Status: In Committee 7 D cosponsors

SB 566 — Parity Enhancement for Addiction Recovery.

Last action — Passed 1st Reading

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced March 25, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 7 sponsors

    2 primary, 5 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (7 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

13 added · 14 removed

Plain-language change summary

The updated version of Senate Bill 566 includes new language that specifically states that insurance companies must base their decisions about coverage for substance use disorders strictly on the latest guidelines from the American Society of Addiction Medicine. This change emphasizes the need for standardized, evidence-based practices in mental health care, aiming to ensure that individuals seeking treatment receive appropriate and consistent support. This matters because it could lead to better treatment access and outcomes for those dealing with substance use issues in North Carolina.

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FILED SENATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA Mar 25, 2025 S.B.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 S 1 SENATE BILL 566 Short Title:
566 SESSION 2025 PRINCIPAL CLERK S D SENATE BILL DRS45245-MR-78A Short Title:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO UPDATE BY CONFORMING TO FEDERAL LAW THE LAWS RELATED TO HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS COVERAGE AND TO ENHANCE COVERAGE PARITY FOR ADDICTION RECOVERY.
Rules and Operations of the Senate March 26, 2025 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO UPDATE BY CONFORMING TO FEDERAL LAW THE LAWS RELATED TO HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS COVERAGE AND TO ENHANCE COVERAGE PARITY FOR ADDICTION RECOVERY.
(a) Mental Health Equity Requirement.
(a) Mental Health EquityRequirement.
– A mental disorder defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-5, or subsequent editions published by the American Psychiatric Association, except this term does not include those mental disorders coded in the DSM-5 or subsequent editions as autism spectrum disorder (299.00), substance-related disorders (291.0 through 292.9 *DRS45245-MR-78A* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 and 303.0 through 305.9), those coded as sexual dysfunctions not due to organic disease (302.70 through 302.79), and those coded as "V" codes.
– A mental disorder defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-5, or subsequent editions published by the American Psychiatric Association, except this term does not include those mental disorders coded in the DSM-5 or subsequent editions as autism spectrum disorder (299.00), substance-related disorders (291.0 through 292.9 *S566-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 and 303.0 through 305.9), those coded as sexual dysfunctions not due to organic disease (302.70 through 302.79), and those coded as "V" codes.
Forsubstance usedisorders,medical necessity determinations shall rely solelyon the most recent American Society of Addiction Medicine criteria.
Forsubstance usedisorders,medical necessitydeterminations shall relysolelyon the most recent American Society of Addiction Medicine criteria.
An Except as otherwise provided, an insurer may develop its own clinical review criteria or purchase or license clinical review criteria.
An Except as otherwise provided, an insurer maydevelop its own clinical review criteria or purchase or license clinical review criteria.
For substance use disorders, medical necessity determinations shall rely solely on the most recent revision of the American Society of Addiction Medicine Patient Placement Criteria for the Treatment of Substance-Related Disorders or (ii) criteria adopted by the insurer or its URO.
For substance use disorders, medical necessity determinations shall relysolelyon the most recent revision of the American Societyof Addiction Medicine Patient Placement Criteria for the Treatment of Substance-Related Disorders or (ii) criteria adopted by the insurer or its URO.
Page 2 DRS45245-MR-78A General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 a.
Page 2 Senate Bill 566-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 a.
DRS45245-MR-78A Page 3
Senate Bill 566-First Edition Page 3
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How this bill changes current law

8 changes Share ↗

Compared against the N.C. General Statutes as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill makes changes to enhance mental health and substance use disorder coverage in health benefit plans by aligning state laws with federal standards and updating terminology.

  • G.S. 58-3-220

    a health condition that are no less favorable than benefits for the necessary care and treatment of physical illness generally → health conditions that are no less favorable than benefits for the necessary care and treatment of physical illness generally, including application of the same limits.

    Clarifies that health benefit plans must provide coverage for mental health conditions on par with physical illnesses.

  • G.S. 58-3-220

    and includes application of the same limits.

    Removes redundant language regarding the application of limits for mental health coverage.

  • G.S. 58-50-61

    criteria adopted by the insurer or its URO. → criteria or (ii) criteria adopted by the insurer or its URO.

    Makes the criteria for substance abuse treatment placement more comprehensive.

  • G.S. 58-50-61

    that have been reviewed and approved by the medical director.

    Eliminates a requirement for documented review and approval of clinical review criteria by a medical director.

  • G.S. 58-3-220

    with a mental disorder defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-5, or subsequent editions published by the → that are defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-5, or subsequent editions published by the American Psychiatric Association.

    Updates the definition of mental illness to align with the most recent DSM standards.

  • G.S. 58-3-220

    substance-relateddisorders(291.0through292.2and303.0through305.9),thosecodedassexual → substance-related disorders (291.0 through 292.9 and 303.0 through 305.9), those coded as sexual

    Corrects spacing and formatting in the listing of substance-related disorders.

  • G.S. 58-3-220

    or (ii) criteria adopted by the insurer or its URO.

    Clarifies criteria for determining placements in substance abuse treatment programs.

  • The Revisor of Statutes shall replace the phrase "chemical dependency" with the phrase "substance use disorder" in all of the following statutes:

    Standardizes language across statutes to reflect current terminology regarding substance use.

Action History

  1. Passed 1st Reading

  2. Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate

  3. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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2 sponsors · 5 co-sponsors · 172 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (5)

Not signed on (172)

172 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 172 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety healthcare health-insurance
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 566?
SB 566 is sponsored by Joyce Waddell (Democratic), Mujtaba A. Mohammed (Democratic), Julie Mayfield (Democratic), Sophia Chitlik (Democratic), Sydney Batch (Democratic), Gale Adcock (Democratic), and Graig Meyer (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 566?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced March 25, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 566?
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