# Delaware SB 22: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INSURANCE COVERAGE. Delaware SB 22, AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INSURANCE COVERAGE., is a 153rd General Assembly (2024–2026) Senate bill sponsored by Bryan Townsend (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-09-08 (Signed by Governor); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SB22-153 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Delaware SB 22 - State: Delaware - Session: 153rd General Assembly (2024–2026) - Title: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INSURANCE COVERAGE. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-04-22 - Last action: 2026-09-08, Signed by Governor - Sponsor: Bryan Townsend (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 26 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (74 yes, 2 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 10 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Broader treatment coverage for Delaware patients: benefit, high. These rules cover Delaware individual and group plans issued, renewed, or changed after December 31, 2027—not Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP. Plans must cover all medically necessary mental health and substance use care, including residential, inpatient, intensive outpatient, withdrawal, and emergency… - Fewer approval barriers for treatment patients: benefit, high. Beginning January 1, 2028, affected plans cannot require advance approval, pre-admission screening, or referrals for behavioral health diagnosis or medically necessary treatment. Plans cannot conduct concurrent coverage reviews during the first 14 inpatient days, 30 intensive outpatient days, or fi… - Stronger safeguards against unfair treatment limits: benefit, high. Beginning January 1, 2028, affected plans cannot make non-dollar behavioral health treatment limits stricter than the main limits applied to nearly all medical or surgical benefits in the same group. These limits include provider standards, care management, and definitions of medical necessity; pla… - Timely care without higher network costs: benefit, high. Beginning January 1, 2028, affected plans must offer nonurgent behavioral health care within 10 business days and urgent care within 24 hours. After a member requests help, plans unable to secure timely, appropriate in-network care must arrange an out-of-network single-case agreement. The agreement… - Easier access to addiction treatment medicines: benefit, medium. Beginning January 1, 2028, affected plans with prescription coverage must put at least one form of every FDA-approved addiction medicine on the lowest drug tier. This includes buprenorphine, naltrexone, naloxone, buprenorphine-naloxone, disulfiram, and acamprosate—even medicines previously excluded… - Fairer treatment bills for Delaware patients: benefit, medium. Beginning January 1, 2028, affected Delaware plans cannot impose greater financial burdens for mental health or substance use care. Copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, benefit limits, and prescription coverage must treat this care as fairly as comparable medical or surgical care. Plans cannot dis… - Immediate emergency medicines for Delaware patients: benefit, medium. Beginning January 1, 2028, affected plans with prescription coverage must provide immediate access to a medically necessary five-day emergency medication supply. No prior approval is allowed when an emergency medical condition exists and the prescribed behavioral health medicine is covered. This in… - Free fairness reviews for plan members: benefit, low. Beginning January 1, 2028, current or prospective members and providers can request an affected plan's required analysis of behavioral health treatment-limit fairness. Plans must provide it free within 30 days and explain the request process in policies and behavioral health provider contracts. Car… - Experimental treatments can still be excluded: cost, low. Beginning January 1, 2028, affected Delaware plans may still exclude experimental or investigational services. Any exclusion must comply with the law's mental health parity requirements. The law does not require coverage of every experimental treatment, so patients can still face uncovered treatmen… - Steady treatment rules can delay updates: mixed, low. Beginning January 1, 2028, affected plans need not adopt treatment or diagnostic standards released after their plan year starts. This keeps the standards steady during that year, but can delay use of newer standards. The rule covers ASAM, LOCUS, CALOCUS-CASII, ECSII, and the listed diagnostic manu… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Bryan Townsend (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Alonna Berry (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Eric Buckson (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Frank Burns (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Daniel Cruce (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Mara Gorman (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Krista Griffith (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Stephanie L. Hansen (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Kerri Evelyn Harris (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Debra Heffernan (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Russell Huxtable (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Kendra Johnson (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Kamela T Smith (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Larry Lambert (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Michael F. Smith (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Melissa Minor-Brown (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Eric Morrison (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Edward S. Osienski (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Brian Pettyjohn (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Marie Pinkney (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Nicole Poore (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Ray Seigfried (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Claire Snyder-Hall (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: David P. Sokola (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Laura V. Sturgeon (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: John "Jack" Walsh (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-06-10 | Senate | Passed (2/3 required) | pass | 20 | 0 | | | 2026-06-09 | House | Passed (SM required) | pass | 33 | 2 | | | 2026-05-13 | Senate | Passed (SM required) | pass | 21 | 0 | | ## Actions (10) - 2026-09-08: Signed by Governor (Governor) - 2026-06-10: Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT (Senate) - 2026-06-09: Passed By House. Votes: 33 YES 2 NO 6 ABSENT (House) - 2026-06-09: Amendment HA 1 to SB 22 - Passed In House by Voice Vote (House) - 2026-06-09: Amendment HA 1 to SB 22 - Introduced and Placed With Bill (Senate) - 2026-05-20: Reported Out of Committee (Health & Human Development) in House with 4 Favorable, 5 On Its Merits (House) - 2026-05-14: Assigned to Health & Human Development Committee in House (House) - 2026-05-13: Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES (Senate) - 2026-05-05: Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 5 Favorable (Senate) - 2026-04-22: Introduced and Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate (Senate) ## Bill text - Current, 2026-04-22: [HTML](https://legis.delaware.gov/json/BillDetail/GenerateHtmlDocument?legislationId=143161&legislationTypeId=1&docTypeId=2) ## Related bills - HS 1 for HB 449: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DIETITIAN/NUTRITIONIST LICENSURE ACT. (passed house) - HB 357: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 10 AND 13 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DUTY TO SUPPORT POOR PERSONS. (signed) - SB 279: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL-BASED OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS. (vetoed) - HB 393: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PROTECTIONS FOR PUBLIC UTILITY CONSUMERS. (vetoed) - SB 231: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS. (vetoed) - HB 356: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PFAS IN FIREFIGHTING FOAM AND EQUIPMENT. (failed) ## Sources - [Current (HTML)](https://legis.delaware.gov/json/BillDetail/GenerateHtmlDocument?legislationId=143161&legislationTypeId=1&docTypeId=2) ## Related - [HS 1 for HB 449: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DIETITIAN/NUTRITI…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-HS1FORHB449-153) - [HB 357: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 10 AND 13 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DUTY TO S…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-HB357-153) - [SB 279: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL-BASED OCCUPATI…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SB279-153) - [HB 393: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PROTECTIONS FOR PUBLI…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-HB393-153) - [SB 231: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SB231-153) - [HB 356: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PFAS IN FIREFIGHTING…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-HB356-153) - [Delaware bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/delaware/bills) - [Delaware state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/delaware) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SB22-153 (as of 2026-10-12).