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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6544
January Session, 2019
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E SHARING OF GENETIC DATA BY
GENETIC TESTING COMP ANIES AND THE PRACTICE OF
NATUROPATHY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2019) (a) As used in this 1
section: 2
(1) "Direct-to-consumer genetic testing company" means a company 3
that sells a genetic test directly to the consumer without requiring the 4
involvement of any health care provider; 5
(2) "Health carrier" means an insurance company, health care center, 6
hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, fraternal 7
benefit society or other entity that delivers, issues for delivery, renews, 8
amends or continues a health care plan in this state; and 9
(3) "Life insurance company" means a company engaged in writing 10
policies or annuities the premiums on which are charged wholly or 11
chiefly on the basis of tables purporting to represent the mortality of 12
insured lives or of annuitants. 13
(b) No direct-to-consumer genetic testing company shall share any 14
personally identifiable genetic data or other personally identifiable 15
information concerning a person with any health carrier or life 16 Substitute Bill No. 6544
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insurance company without the person's consent. 17
(c) Any direct-to-consumer genetic testing company that violates 18
any provision of subsection (b) of this section shall be subject to a civil 19
penalty of not more than one thousand dollars per violation. 20
Sec. 2. Section 20-34 of the general statutes is repealed and the 21
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 22
(a) The practice of naturopathy means the science, art and practice 23
of healing by natural methods as recognized by the Council of 24
Naturopathic Medical Education and that comprises diagnosis, 25
prevention and treatment of disease and health optimization by 26
stimulation and support of the body's natural healing processes, as 27
approved by the State Board of Naturopathic Examiners, with the 28
consent of the Commissioner of Public Health, and shall include: (1) 29
[counseling] Counseling; (2) the practice of (A) the [mechanical and 30
material] physical sciences of healing as follows: [The mechanical 31
sciences such as mechanotherapy, articular] Articular manipulation, 32
[corrective and orthopedic gymnastics,] physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, 33
electrotherapy and phototherapy; [and the material] (B) the sciences, 34
[such as] including, but not limited to, nutrition, dietetics, 35
phytotherapy, treatment by natural substances and external 36
applications; (3) ordering diagnostic tests and other diagnostic 37
procedures as such tests and procedures relate to the practice of 38
[mechanical and material] physical sciences of healing as described in 39
subparagraph (A) of subdivision (2) of this subsection; (4) ordering 40
medical devices and durable medical equipment; and (5) removing ear 41
wax, spirometry, tuberculosis testing; and (C) venipuncture for blood 42
testing. 43
(b) (1) For purposes of subsection (a) of this section, "natural 44
substances" means substances that (A) are not narcotic substances, as 45
defined in subdivision (30) of section 21a-240, (B) do not require the 46
written or oral prescription of a licensed practitioner to be dispensed, 47
and (C) are only administered orally. 48 Substitute Bill No. 6544
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(2) The Department of Public Health, in consultation with the State 49
Board of Naturopathic Examiners established pursuant to section 20-50
35, may (A) establish educational and examination requirements or 51
other qualifications to permit a naturopathic physician to prescribe, 52
dispense and administer prescription medicines, except any opioid 53
drugs, as defined in section 20-14o, consistent with his or her scope of 54
practice, and (B) establish a naturopathic formulary of prescription 55
medicines, which shall not include any opioid drugs, as defined in said 56
section, that a naturopathic physician who meets such educational and 57
examination requirements or other qualifications may use consistent 58
with his or her practice and training. At least triennially, the 59
Department of Public Health, in consultation with the State Board of 60
Naturopathic Examiners, shall update any naturopathic formulary of 61
prescription medicines established under this subdivision. 62
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2019 New section
Sec. 2 October 1, 2019 20-34
PH Joint Favorable Subst.