On July 13, Governor Polis signed Senate Bill (SB) 20-007 consolidating and modernizing Colorado's laws regarding the emergency treatment and voluntary and involuntary commitment of persons for treatment of alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder (SUD). With the consolidation and modernization of these laws, OBH is currently creating a communications plan that will support our community partners in describing the nuances of this update which includes adjustments to the duration of the initial commitment from 30 days to up to 90 days and adds patient's rights that must be afforded to all individuals receiving SUD treatment services pursuant to these newly consolidated laws.
SB 20-007 also establishes important measures to improve access to SUD treatment services, by:
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Requiring insurance carriers to provide coverage for the treatment of substance use disorders in accordance with the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
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Prohibiting the denial of access to medical or substance use disorder treatment services, including recovery services, to persons who are participating in prescribed medication assisted treatment in recovery residences, courts, judicial programs, community corrections and OBH-contracted entities.
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Requiring insurance carriers to provide coverage for at least one form of an overdose reversal medication.
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Requiring the statewide managed care system to provide coordination of care for the full continuum of substance use and mental health treatment.
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Authorizing the commissioner of insurance to review and revise the essential health benefits package for medication-assisted treatment.
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Requiring insurance carriers to report on the number of in-network medication-assisted treatment providers and the number of insurance enrollees who filled prescriptions.