BEACH BILL TO REQUIRE HEALTH INSURERS TO COVER STUTTERING TREATMENTS ADVANCES

The following information was released by the New Jersey State Senate, Democrats :

The Senate Commerce Committee advanced legislation sponsored by Senator James Beach that would require health insurance and Medicaid coverage for the treatment of stuttering.

"For too long, New Jersey residents have been denied coverage for stutter-related speech therapies that have the potential to change their lives for the better," said Senator Beach (D-Camden/Burlington). "No matter their age or the cause of their impediment, every individual should have access to the care they need without having to worry about the out-of-pocket cost."

The bill, S-3502, would require private and public health insurers and the State Medicaid program to cover medical expenses incurred in treating stuttering, including habilitative and rehabilitative speech therapy, as determined to be medically necessary or neurogenic or developmental by the subscriber's medical doctor or licensed speech-language pathologist.

Habilitative and rehabilitative speech therapy would be defined to mean speech therapy that helps a person keep, learn, or improve skills and functioning for daily living; and speech therapy that helps a person restore or improve skills and functioning for daily living that have been lost or impaired, respectively.

Under the bill, coverage would be provided whether the services are delivered in-person or through telemedicine or telehealth.