Drug treatment bill has Senate's green light

BOSTON The Senate on Tuesday unanimously adopted a bill to require insurers to cover drug and alcohol treatment without prior approval for admissions, a move expected to greatly increase access to treatment and that state Sen. Stephen M. Brewer predicted "will make a quantum leap forward" in treating opiate addiction.

The legislation, which now goes to the House for consideration, would prohibit MassHealth, the state's Medicaid program, as well as commercial health insurance companies from requiring prior approval for admission to clinical detox and other in-patient and out-patient drug addiction and substance abuse treatment programs.

The bill also requires that those services be covered by health insurance companies and sets up a system to certify professionals to qualify for providing treatment that is reimbursable by insurers. Backers of the bill said the program will result in as many as 1,000 licensed workers to provide reimbursable drug-addiction treatment.

While no estimates of the state health insurance costs or premiums charged by commercial insurance companies was offered during the floor debate, Mr. Brewer, D-Barre, said he is convinced the expense will be less than not addressing a rising epidemic of opioid addictions.

He said he will include additional funds to cover estimated state costs for the expanded treatment coverage in the Senate version of the fiscal 2015 budget to be released Wednesday.

"The cost of not doing anything is far, far greater than taking the challenge as a Senate to make better our society," Mr. Brewer argued on the floor of the Senate.

"What is the cost to our society of 135 babies being born in March that are addicted to drugs? What does it cost to our trial court system, our DYS system, our mental health system, our society and our education? I would submit it is clearly in the billions of dollars," Mr. Brewer said.

The Senate rejected by a 35-4 vote, a Republican amendment to hold up insurance mandates in the legislation until after the state Center for Health Information provides estimates of the cost impact on the state, despite arguments from Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr, R-Gloucester, that the cost ought to be known before the bill takes effect.

Sen. Jennifer L. Flanagan, D-Leominster, said that would "gut" the bill by preventing implementation until those cost studies are completed.

An amendment from Mr. Brewer adopted with the bill would require the state to develop estimates of the impact on the state budget and insurance premiums, along with information on costs of not implementing the bill in terms of out-of-pocket treatment costs for patients and delayed treatment.

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Drug treatment bill has Senate's green light