2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 25
BY SENATOR PEACOCK
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to study the use of scrambler
therapy as an opioid alternative for the treatment of pain.
WHEREAS, opioid related deaths in Louisiana were one hundred fifty times higher
in 2017 than they were in 2012; and
WHEREAS, deaths in Louisiana involving fentanyl have increased by more than five
hundred percent since 2014; and
WHEREAS, a significant contributor to opioid related deaths is prescription opioids
for the treatment of pain, with Louisiana prescribers writing nearly five million opioid
prescriptions per year; and
WHEREAS, many patients with chronic pain are keenly aware of the risks associated
with opioids and eager to try alternative treatments for relief; and
WHEREAS, although Louisiana has enacted several laws to limit and curtail opioid
prescriptions, health carriers and insurance plans often prefer and will only cover opioid
treatment for pain; and
WHEREAS, scrambler therapy has been a widely used alternative for pain treatment
in Europe and is being introduced in several markets in the United States; and
WHEREAS, scrambler therapy is a nonnarcotic, noninvasive, pain-free use of
electrodes to target specific pain sites; and
WHEREAS, scrambler therapy is still considered experimental in the United States
pending investigations and clinical trials; and
WHEREAS, a 2018 survey of government and commercial health plans found that
insurance does not cover scrambler therapy for patients in Louisiana, resulting in access
being limited to those who can afford to pay cash for the service; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Department of Health is aggressively pursuing every
reasonable effort to combat the opioid epidemic; and
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WHEREAS, scrambler therapy shall be studied to determine whether its use is an
appropriate alternative treatment for pain, and if so, the feasibility of health insurance
coverage of this treatment by government and commercial health plans in Louisiana.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
request the Louisiana Department of Health to study the use of scrambler therapy as an
opioid alternative for the treatment of pain.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Department of Health shall
consult with the Louisiana Department of Insurance and the Louisiana Association of Health
Plans in studying this matter and shall provide a report of its findings, including the use of
scrambler therapy as an appropriate alternative treatment for pain and the feasibility of
health insurance coverage of this treatment to the legislature no later than February 1, 2020.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, the commissioner of the Louisiana
Department of Insurance, and the executive director of the Louisiana Association of Health
Plans.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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