Require all Minnesota health insurance providers to cover drug and alcohol rehabilitation treatments.

 

This bill will expand accessibility to drug rehabilitation for people struggling with addiction.

 

Drug addiction is a disease, and its treatment should be covered, like any other disease people suffer from. The purpose

of health insurance is to assist people during medical crises, which should include addiction treatment. According to

Minnesota’s Department of Health, only 1 in 10 people with a substance use disorder receive treatment in the U.S.

Moreover, in 2023, 1011 people died from opioid-related drug overdoses in Minnesota. This bill would decrease the number

of overdoses in Minnesota and contribute to the reduction of drug abuse among Minnesotans. Implementing this policy will

reduce the prevalence of preventable diseases caused by addiction, such as liver and pancreatic diseases, sleep

disorders, and treatment-resistant hypertension. The reduction in later costs for drug-related diseases would offset the

upfront costs for addiction treatment. Once implemented, this bill would cover one inpatient stay, following the typical

30-day model, per year. In addition, it would cover all outpatient treatment.

 

Rehabilitation: the action of restoring someone to health or normal life through training and therapy after

imprisonment, addiction, or illness

Inpatient treatment: patients live in a treatment center full-time

Outpatient treatment: patients live at home and commute regularly to the treatment center

 

There is no funding required for this bill.

 

For each patient denied coverage for their treatment, the insurance company will be fined the average cost of treatment

(30-day stay): $56,000.

 

Three months after passage.