Sen. Kelly’s Proposal to Combat Opioid Abuse is Signed into Law

Hartford – State Senator Kevin Kelly (R-21) is applauding the governor’s signing of a bill that aims to help individuals suffering from substance abuse.

Special Act No. 16-4 directs the Connecticut insurance commissioner to study the impediments that exist for individuals that are addicted to drugs to receive care.

Sen. Kelly proposed this bill in the Insurance Committee, on which he serves as Ranking Member, and cosponsored the legislation put forward by the committee.

“I proposed this bill because our state needs to better understand the challenges people face when they try to seek help for substance abuse,” said Sen. Kelly, who represents the towns of Stratford, Shelton, Monroe and Seymour. “Drug use is a public health crisis and the only way to fight it is to take on a holistic approach and address both the causes and the effects. One of the biggest challenges people face when they get involved in drug use is that they don’t know what kind of support, including medical care, is available to them to help fight their addiction. This new law commissioning a study will help state lawmakers better understand this issue, so that we can remove obstacles that may prevent someone from getting help.”

The study will aim to find out if insurance policies are adequately helping individuals with substance abuse problems access the treatment they need. Upon the competition of this study, the legislature will have more information that’s essential to further address the addiction issues facing people in our state.

For more information on Special Act No. 16-4 AN ACT CONCERNING A STUDY OF IMPEDIMENTS TO INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENTS click here: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Special+Act&which_year=2016&bill_num=4.