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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 20, 2023 04:59 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator John I. Kane and Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione, Sen. Jimmy Dillon |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Bi-Annual Insurance Notices for Recovery Treatment |
| We will introduce legislation to require insurance companies, CHIP, and Medicaid to provide their insureds with a bi-annual one- or two-page summary of their insurance benefits for recovery treatment. The summary shall be written in easy-to-understand non-technical language and include a summary of the coverage available for each level of addiction treatment, the process to access recovery services, the process to file an appeal or grievance, and the avenues for accessing public funding if necessary. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID), Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), and several Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment advisory councils and non-profits shall review the draft notices from the insurers. They shall provide feedback and approval in writing of the notices. If there are objections to the language of the bi-annual notice, a notice of disapproval shall be sent. PID and DDAP shall mediate disputes. Additionally, PID may issue fines for non-compliance. We have heard from and helped many constituents that have struggled to access their addiction treatment services through their health insurance plans. Our hope is that a bi-annual summary in easy-to-understand non-technical language helps insurance policy holders and their loved ones understand how to use their insurance benefits if and when they need them. This will help Pennsylvanians during their journey to recovery. |
Introduced as SB877