Sen. Markley Seeks Support To Override Governor’s Veto

Hartford- State Senator Joe Markley (R-16), Ranking Member of the General Assembly’s Human Services Committee and member of the Program Review and Investigations Committee, today sent a letter to legislative leaders asking for support in overriding the governor’s veto of House Bill 5373, An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee.

House Bill 5373 would have required managed care organizations to report more information on substance abuse treatment to the state Insurance Department. The bill received unanimous support in both the Senate and House of Representatives this year, but was vetoed by Governor Malloy on May 29, 2014.

“It is imperative that our state improve the availability and accessibility of care for those who suffer from substance abuse. House Bill 5373 is an important step in the improvement process. By giving officials more information about Connecticut’s treatment system, we can move closer to identifying the gaps that prevent individuals from finding the care they need,” said Senator Markley. “I am saddened to see the governor’s veto interrupt the bipartisan progress our legislature has made on this issue.”

The legislation was based on recommendations made by the Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee in their report Access to Substance Use Treatment for Insured Youth: Phase I (December 2012) and Phase II (June 2013). These reports were written in response to a study that was first requested by Senator Markley. In April 2012, Senator Markley urged his fellow members of the Program Review Committee to investigate a disturbing trend multiple constituents had brought to his attention. The trend involved the failure of insured adolescents to receive necessary and effective treatment for prescription drug abuse addiction.

These reports concluded, among many findings, that the Connecticut Insurance Department does not sufficiently oversee behavioral health care coverage, check that fully-insured plans comply with all aspects of the federal parity laws, or require fully-insured plans to make initial coverage decisions using practitioners and criteria that would be the most appropriate.

“House Bill 5373, if signed into law, would address these issues by providing the state with information needed to improve the system,” said Markley.
The legislation would require managed care organizations in Connecticut to report the following information to the state:

• The estimated prevalence of substance use disorders by county among children, young adults and adults covered by insurance
• The number and percentage of individuals receiving covered treatment of a substance use disorder by level of care provided
• The median length of a covered treatment provided
• The number of in-network health care providers who provide substance abuse treatments, including how many are accepting new clients
• The number of covered health care providers and facilities that provide treatment of substance use disorders in Connecticut
• A report identifying and explaining factors that may be negatively impacting covered individuals’ access to treatment of substance use disorders

“If we want to improve the care offered to those suffering from substance abuse and their families, our legislature must continue to move forward with implementation of the recommendations made by the Program Review and Investigations Committee. We must encourage more transparency so we can identify and close the gaps that severely impact treatment,” said Markley.