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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky House Bill 691 Sets Treatment Assessment Rules and Enhanced Medicaid Rates for High-Acuity Youth
Last action · March 13, 2026: taken from Families & Children (H) 1st reading returned to Families & Children (H)Sponsor: Stephanie Dietz
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What This Bill Proposed
Kentucky House Bill 691 establishes mandatory s by clinical professionals for court-involved youths requiring specialized psychiatric care, requires agreement between state agencies before court placement, and sets hospital Medicaid reimbursement at 200% for inpatient care or 150% for outpatient services provided at detention facilities.
This legislation alters how state agencies, juvenile detention centers, and psychiatric hospitals coordinate treatment and funding for severely aggressive or violent youth, introducing strict evidentiary standards before a court can mandate hospital admissions.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
High acuity youth
Their psychiatric evaluation process, treatment location, court placement restrictions, and discharge conditions upon violent incidents are legally regulated.
Inpatient psychiatric hospitals and pediatric teaching hospitals
They must conduct behavioral assessments, prepare affidavits, adhere to admission restrictions, provide 24-hour access protocols, and receive enhanced Medicaid reimbursement rates.
Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities
Its representatives must consult on treatment plans, review affidavits of dissent, and coordinate custody and placement alongside juvenile justice.
Department of Juvenile Justice
It must participate in treatment plan conferences, return youth to custody following discharge events, and coordinate care locations for youths in its custody.
Department of Medicaid Services
It is mandated to reimburse inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services at enhanced rates of 200% and 150% respectively.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What defines a high-acuity youth under this bill?
How are hospitals reimbursed for treating high-acuity youth?
What happens if a high-acuity youth commits an act of violence while admitted to a hospital?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Mar 13, 2026HouseCommitteetaken from Families & Children (H) 1st reading returned to Families & Children (H)
- Mar 2, 2026HouseCommitteeto Families & Children (H)
- Feb 23, 2026HouseIntroducedintroduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Enhanced Reimbursement Tier
The bill establishes explicit financial incentives for treating high-acuity youth by setting distinct multipliers (200% for inpatient and 150% for outpatient services) over standard Medicaid rates.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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