State Rep. Carter Backs Substance Abuse Treatment Legislation

From the Office of State Rep. Dan Carter:

State Rep. Dan Carter (R-2) has long fought for legislation that deters addiction and drug abuse. At a time when opioid addiction is perhaps at its peak in the State of Connecticut, Rep. Carter views last night’s Senate passage of House Bill 5620, which will work to ensure that those battling with addiction have resources towards recovery, as a great victory for the legislature.

An Act Concerning Insurance Coverage for Opioid Analgesics and Requiring a Study of Impediments to Insurance Coverage for Substance Use Disorder Treatments will require the commissioner of the Department of Insurance to find the gaps in current health insurance policies or benefit plans for those receiving substance use disorder treatments. It was passed almost unanimously in the House on April 30 and now awaits a signature from the governor to be signed into law.

According to this bill, the commissioner will need to report back to the legislature’s Insurance and Real Estate Committee and the Public Health Committee, next year on the extent of coverage for these treatments (as well as the types of treatments covered), what requirements patients must meet in order to receive full coverage, and cost-sharing requirements for the treatments.

“This is a problem that requires more than talk,” said Rep. Carter, “and I think that with this legislation, we will see a decline in the number of overdoses that have been aggrieving our state, our communities, and our family and friends because we are finally taking action. It is acts like these that will right the opioid epidemic in our state and I have been proud to lead this effort.”