Bipartisan Bill to Expand Treatment for Substance Use Disorders Earns Senate Approval
DENVER, CO – Today the Senate approved Senator Kyle Mullica’s, D-Thornton, bipartisan legislation to expand treatment options for Coloradans with substance use disorders (SUDs).
"More than 1,500 of our neighbors died from a drug overdose here in Colorado last year, a heartbreaking number we must work hard to reduce," said Mullica. "This year we’ve advanced a number of policies to tackle this crisis, including this bill to expand treatment options for folks struggling with substance use disorders. I am proud of the work we've done, and I look forward to helping more Coloradans get the help and support they need to get their lives back on track."
HB24-1045, cosponsored by Senator Perry Will, R-New Castle, would:
Direct the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to apply for federal Medicaid 1115 waivers to cover health care services for people in jail or prison and to cover a partial hospitalization care;
Require Medicaid and private insurers to cover all FDA-approved medications for SUDs without prior authorization;
Expand the treatment workforce by increasing clinical supervision opportunities for addiction counselors under qualified licensed professional counselors, licensed clinical social workers, and licensed marriage and family therapists;
Authorize pharmacists to prescribe medicated-assisted treatment;
Create a contingency management grant program, funding the best evidence-based practices to help people with SUDs stay sober;
Invest in behavioral health diversion programs to provide adults charged with a minor offense a substance use treatment option; and
Continue the Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Study Committee through the end of 2025.
This legislation originated from the Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Study Committee, which met over the interim and developed policies aimed at bolstering prevention efforts, improving treatment programs, promoting harm reduction strategies, and supporting Coloradans in recovery to prevent overdose deaths and save lives.
HB24-1045 now heads to the Governor’s desk for his signature. Track its progress HERE.