Addiction & Mental Health
But so much about treating addiction depends upon the ability to access treatment and prevent addiction in the first place.
Here are just a few of the bills that I have sponsored which are now law:
Removed pre-authorization requirements for residential treatment. In an effort to reduce overdose deaths relating to the growing epidemic of opioid addiction, this Act requires carriers to provide coverage for medically necessary inpatient treatment of alcohol and drug dependencies and prohibits carriers from imposing precertification, prior authorization, pre-admission screening, or referral requirements for the diagnosis and treatment, including in-patient treatment, of drug and alcohol dependencies.
Alternative Therapies. This Act encouraged prescribers and patients to use proven non-opioid methods of treating back pain by prohibiting numerical limits on physical therapy and chiropractic care, which might deter prescribers or patients from using those treatments rather than opioids. A subsequent bill in 2022 made it clear that chiropractic supportive care is eligible for insurance coverage.
Pharmacist immunity for the distribution of Naloxone. Under this Act, a pharmacist who dispenses narloxone under an established set of circumstances is not subject to disciplinary or other adverse action under any professional licensing statute or criminal liability, or liable for damages related to injuries or death sustained in connection with administering the drug, unless it is established that the pharmacist caused the injuries or death willfully, wantonly, or by gross negligence.
Protection from denial of coverage. The denial by private and public health benefit administrators of adequate coverage for substance abuse treatment has been identified as a major source of failed treatment efforts by persons addicted to controlled substances. This Act seeks to ensure that persons with private and public insurance coverage have the ability to insist that they receive the substance abuse coverage to which they are entitled by, among other things, allowing the Department of Justice to provide legal assistance where appropriate.
Established the Behavioral Health Consortium that will provide oversight and coordination of the State’s private and public bodies to address behavioral health issues in Delaware.
Established the Addiction Action Committee as a means to establish a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to address addiction in Delaware.
Law Enforcement/DSAMH information sharing. This Act allows law-enforcement officers to share an individual's identifying information with the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health ("DSAMH") if the officer suspects the individual is suffering from an overdose or a mental health crisis, allowing DSAMH to connect the individual with behavioral health treatment services.
Greater coverage for MAT. This Act adds coverage for Medication Assisted Treatment ("MAT") for drug and alcohol dependencies to the mental health parity laws for health insurance.
Extending Good Samaritan law to cover laypersons who administer Naloxone.