Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01474 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3		-	LCO 1 of 3
	3	+	LCO No. 5699 1 of 4
4	4
5		-	General Assembly ~~Substitute~~ Bill No. 1474
	5	+	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1474
6	6		January Session, 2025
	7	+	LCO No. 5699
	8	+
	9	+
	10	+	Referred to Committee on HUMAN SERVICES
	11	+
	12	+
	13	+	Introduced by:
	14	+	(HS)
	15	+
7	16
8	17
9	18
10	19		AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES.
11	20		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
12	21		Assembly convened:
13	22
14	23		Section 1. Section 17b-278l of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
15	24		following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2
16	25		(a) (1) As used in this section, "bariatric surgery" means surgical 3
17	26		changes to the digestive system to help a patient with obesity to lose 4
18	27		weight; 5
19	28		(2) "Body mass index", or "BMI", means the number calculated by 6
20	29		dividing an individual's weight in kilograms by the individual's height 7
21	30		in meters squared; 8
22	31		(3) "Medical services" means (A) prescription drugs approved by the 9
23	32		federal Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of obesity on 10
24	33		an outpatient basis, and (B) nutritional counseling provided by a 11
25	34		registered dietitian-nutritionist certified pursuant to section 20-206n; 12
26	35		(4) "Severe obesity" means a body mass index that is: 13
	36	+	Raised Bill No. 1474
	37	+
	38	+
	39	+
	40	+	LCO No. 5699 2 of 4
	41	+
27	42		(A) Greater than forty; or 14
28	43		(B) Thirty-five or more if an individual has been diagnosed with a 15
29	44		comorbid disease or condition, including, but not limited to, a 16
30		-	cardiopulmonary condition, diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnea; 17 Substitute Bill No. 1474
31		-
32		-
33		-	LCO 2 of 3
34		-
	45	+	cardiopulmonary condition, diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnea; 17
35	46		[and] 18
36	47		(5) "Obesity" means a body mass index of thirty or higher; and 19
37	48		(6) "Weight loss drugs" means glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) 20
38	49		prescription drugs approved by the federal Food and Drug 21
39	50		Administration for weight loss or commonly used for weight loss. 22
40	51		(b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall provide medical 23
41	52		assistance for (1) bariatric surgery and related medical services for 24
42	53		Medicaid and HUSKY B beneficiaries with severe obesity, and (2) 25
43	54		medical services for Medicaid and HUSKY B beneficiaries with a body 26
44	55		mass index greater than thirty-five, [provided such beneficiaries 27
45	56		otherwise meet conditions set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 28
46	57		Services for such surgery and medical services] including weight loss 29
47	58		drugs. The commissioner shall continue to provide Medicaid coverage 30
48	59		for beneficiaries treated with weight loss drugs if their BMI drops below 31
49	60		thirty-five and a licensed physician certifies in writing that their BMI 32
50	61		would increase above thirty-five if such drugs were discontinued. If 33
51	62		necessary, the commissioner may amend the Medicaid state plan and 34
52	63		the state plan for the Children's Health Insurance Program to implement 35
53	64		the provisions of this section. 36
54	65		Sec. 2. Section 17b-8 of the general statutes is amended by adding 37
55	66		subsection (e) as follows (Effective July 1, 2025): 38
56	67		(NEW) (e) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this 39
57	68		section, the Commissioner of Social Services shall submit any Medicaid 40
58	69		state plan amendment not subject to the legislative approval process of 41
59	70		this section to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 42
60	71		having cognizance of matters relating to human services. Said 43
	72	+	Raised Bill No. 1474
	73	+
	74	+
	75	+
	76	+	LCO No. 5699 3 of 4
	77	+
61	78		committee shall schedule a vote on such state plan amendment not later 44
62	79		than thirty days after receipt of such amendment. The commissioner 45
63	80		shall not submit such state plan amendment for federal approval unless 46
64	81		said committee votes to approve it. If the committee approves such state 47
65	82		plan amendment with amendments, the commissioner shall submit 48
66		-	such state plan amendment as amended by the committee. 49 Substitute Bill No. 1474
67		-
68		-
69		-	LCO 3 of 3
70		-
	83	+	such state plan amendment as amended by the committee. 49
71	84		Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section, (1) 50
72	85		"prescribing practitioner" means a physician, dentist, podiatrist, 51
73	86		optometrist, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse or 52
74	87		nurse-midwife enrolled as a Medicaid provider who is licensed by the 53
75	88		state and authorized to prescribe opioid drugs within the scope of such 54
76	89		person's practice, and (2) "opioid drug" has the same meaning as 55
77	90		provided in section 20-14o of the general statutes. 56
78	91		(b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall require a prescribing 57
79		-	practitioner, as a condition ~~for the receipt~~ of Medicaid reimbursement 58
80		-	~~for prescribing an~~ opioid ~~drug~~ to a Medicaid ~~recipient~~, to complete 59
81		-	~~training in effective~~ pain management, including, but not limited to: (1) 60
82		-	~~Appropriate,~~ available nonopioid alternatives for the treatment of pain, 61
83		-	~~and (2) the~~ advantages and disadvantages of the use of nonopioid 62
84		-	~~treatment~~ alternatives, considering a patient's risk of substance misuse. 63
	92	+	practitioner, as a condition of Medicaid reimbursement for prescribing 58
	93	+	opioid drugs to Medicaid recipients, to complete training in effective 59
	94	+	pain management, including, but not limited to: (1) Appropriate, 60
	95	+	available nonopioid alternatives for the treatment of pain, and (2) the 61
	96	+	advantages and disadvantages of the use of nonopioid treatment 62
	97	+	alternatives, considering a patient's risk of substance misuse. 63
85	98		(c) The commissioner may adopt regulations in accordance with the 64
86	99		provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes to implement the 65
87	100		provisions of this section. 66
88	101		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
89	102		sections:
90	103
91	104		Section 1 from passage 17b-278l
92	105		Sec. 2 July 1, 2025 17b-8(e)
93	106		Sec. 3 July 1, 2025 New section
94	107
95		-	Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
96		-	In Section 3(b), "as a condition of Medicaid reimbursement for
97		-	prescribing opioid drugs to Medicaid recipients" was changed to "as a
98		-	condition for the receipt of Medicaid reimbursement for prescribing an
99		-	opioid drug to a Medicaid recipient", for clarity.
	108	+	Statement of Purpose:
	109	+	To expand Medicaid coverage for weight loss drugs, require approval
	110	+	by the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having
	111	+	Raised Bill No. 1474
100	112
101		-	HS Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO
	113	+
	114	+
	115	+	LCO No. 5699 4 of 4
	116	+
	117	+	cognizance of matters relating to human services of Medicaid state plan
	118	+	amendments not otherwise subject to legislative approval and require
	119	+	nonopioid pain management training for prescribers of opioids who
	120	+	receive Medicaid reimbursement.
	121	+
	122	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	123	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	124	+	underlined.]
102	125