State Sen. John Velis Appointed to Negotiate Compromise Substance-use-disorder Bill

BOSTON — As the state Legislature works to reconcile differences between versions of several different pieces of legislation passed by the Senate and the House, state Sen. John Velis has been appointed by Senate President Karen Spilka to the conference committee tasked with negotiating a final compromise substance-use-disorder bill.

“The unfortunate truth is most people in our Commonwealth know someone who is struggling or has struggled with addiction, and it is absolutely heartbreaking how many loved ones we continue to lose to this disease,” said Velis, Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery. “The Senate and the House have both passed important legislation in this area that have a lot of similar topics, from increasing access to overdose-reversal tools like Narcan to expanding harm-reduction programs to establishing licensure and oversight for recovery coaches. We share a lot of common goals, and it’s my job as a member of this conference committee to ensure that we resolve the differences in approaches that we do have and get a final compromise bill that we can all agree on to the governor’s desk.”

Measures that exist within both versions include:

Increasing Access to Opioid-reversal Tools Like Narcan:

• Requires health-insurance plans to cover opioid-overdose-reversal drugs without cost sharing or prior authorization;

• Mandates pharmacies in areas with high incidences of overdose to maintain a continuous supply of opioid-overdose-reversal drugs and notify the Department of Public Health if the supply is insufficient;

• Requires substance-use-disorder treatment facilities to educate on and dispense at least two doses of opioid-overdose-reversal drugs to individuals upon discharge; and

• Mandates hospitals to educate on and prescribe or dispense at least two doses of opioid-overdose-reversal drugs to individuals with a history of opioid use or opioid-use disorder upon discharge.

Establishing a Comprehensive Licensure Process for Recovery Coaches:

• Directs DPH to create a system for licensing recovery coaches and alcohol and drug counselors, which will improve oversight of the profession and encourage more comprehensive insurance coverage;

• Requires insurers to cover recovery-coach services without prior authorization;

• Creates a route for recovery coaches certified under the current system to obtain licensure under the new requirements; and

• Directs the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services to establish a peer-support program to provide mentorship to individuals working in the recovery space.

With different versions of the legislation being passed by both the Senate and the House, the differences between the bills need to be reconciled before a final version can be approved and sent to the governor’s desk.