Primary and Behavioral Health Care Access Act of 2026

Key Points

• This bill would require health insurance plans to cover three primary care visits and three behavioral health visits each year with zero cost-sharing. That means no copays, no coinsurance, and no deductible payments for those six visits.
• The bill covers most types of private insurance, including employer-sponsored group plans and individual marketplace plans. It also specifically ensures that people with high-deductible health plans paired with health savings accounts can use these free visits without it affecting their HSA eligibility.
• Primary care visits must be in-person with a designated primary care provider like a family doctor, internist, pediatrician, or OB-GYN. Behavioral health visits cover a wide range of mental health and substance use providers including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and mental health counselors.
• Insurance plans cannot apply more restrictive treatment limits to these free visits compared to other covered visits, and they must reimburse providers at the same rates as regular visits. This prevents insurers from undermining the benefit by offering lower-quality coverage for the free visits.
• If the bill becomes law, the new rules would not kick in right away. They would apply to plan years starting two years after the date the bill is enacted, giving insurers and employers time to adjust.