Sen. Keenan Issues Statement on Opioid Crisis Funding

From the Office of State Senator John F. Keenan:

Senator John F. Keenan released the following statement on funding for the current opioid crisis on Friday, July 8.

"The Department of Public Health needs appropriate funding to deal with the opioid crisis. The Legislature can and should act quickly on these additional budget requests to ensure that the funding is in place," said Sen. Keenan. "Just as importantly, it’s time to acknowledge that private insurers also have a role in funding addiction treatment. A majority of my Senate colleagues have joined me in supporting Senate Bill 1502, calling for private insurers to provide coverage for up to 30 days of medically necessary treatment, just as we do with public dollars. We believe that nobody should be left to struggle with addiction and overdose and, in too many cases, death because their insurance companies will not provide adequate coverage for treatment. We need to move beyond the objections of the commercial insurance sector, not weaken the bill for their benefit, and pass Senate Bill 1502 immediately.”