SB 280 — AN ACT CONCERNING NATUROPATHS.

Senate General Assembly FileRaised Bill No.

310280 February Session, 2022 SenateLCO Bill No.

2802448 Senate,Referred Aprilto 5, 2022 The Committee on HumanHUMAN ServicesSERVICES reportedIntroduced throughby: SEN.

MOORE(HS) ofAN theACT 22ndCONCERNING Dist.,NATUROPATHS. Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING NATUROPATHS.

(NEW) (d) Not later than October 1, 2022, thetheCommissioner Commissioner of Social Services shall amend the Medicaid state plan to add services provided by a naturopath licensed pursuant to chapter 373 as a covered service.

Section 1 from passage 17b-28e HS Joint Favorable SB280APP /Joint FileFavorable No.LCO 2448 \\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2022SB-00280-R02-1 of 1 SB.docx

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310 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 23 $ FY 24 $ Social Services, Dept.

GF - Cost At least At least $100,000 $100,000 Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to amend the Medicaid state plan to include Medicaid coverage for services provided by licensed naturopaths for adults 21 years and older, which results in a cost to the state of at least $100,000 per fiscal year.

The total cost will be dependent on utilization rates of these services by adults 21 years and older.

For context, these services are already covered by Medicaid for children under the age of 21.

In CY 2021, children utilized approximately 2,800 units of service resulting in gross Medicaid costs of $194,500.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation.

Sources:

Department of Social Services Caseload Information SB280 / File No.

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310 OLR Bill Analysis SB 280 AN ACT CONCERNING NATUROPATHS.

SUMMARY This bill requires the Department of Social Services commissioner to amend the Medicaid state plan by October 1, 2022, to provide Medicaid coverage for services provided by a licensed naturopath.

By law, the practice of naturopathy means the science, art, and practice of healing by natural methods as recognized by the Council of Naturopathic Medical Education.

It includes disease diagnosis, prevention, and treatment and health optimization by stimulating and supporting the body’s natural healing processes, as approved by the State Board of Naturopathic Examiners with the consent of the Department of Public Health commissioner (CGS § 20-34).

EFFECTIVE DATE:

Upon passage COMMITTEE ACTION Human Services Committee Joint Favorable Yea 20 Nay 0 (03/24/2022) SB280 / File No.

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