Government

State passes bills aimed at tackling growing heroin problem

(Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)
(Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)

EXPANSION OF HEALTH SERVICES

• Insurance coverage will be expanded to require that peer-reviewed, nationally recognized criteria be used when deciding what treatments will be covered by insurers.

• Coverage will be expanded to include specialists in behavioral health and substance abuse, who should be the ones prescribing such treatment options for patients, according to the legislation.

• Should an insurer deny a treatment, patients can benefit from an expedited appeals process and cannot be denied care while that appeals process is in progress.

• A treatment and hospital diversion program will be tested to provide services to individuals who are attempting to detoxify from heroin, but do not need hospitalization.

• A pilot program will be created to provide help with a number of “wraparound” services — including education, legal, financial, social, family, childcare, employment, peer-to-peer support and transportation assistance — for adolescents and adults for up to nine months after successful completion of a treatment program.

WORTH NOTING: Dr. Karen Malcomson, director of the Family Service League’s North Fork Counseling program in Mattituck, said that while she was happy to see expanded insurance coverage in the bill, access to treatment services needs to come soon. Local demand far outstrips the available options at the moment.

“The reality is, locally, there is such a long waiting list to get into a methadone program,” she said, which often helps recovering addicts in the transition.

“So, this sounds great, but right now the supply of clinicians isn’t there — insurance or no insurance,” Ms. Malcomson said.