Commerce Committee releases bill to require insurance, Medicaid coverage for stuttering treatment

The Senate Commerce Committee on Feb. 10, 2025, voted to release Senate Bill 3558, which would require health insurance plans and the state Medicaid program to cover treatment for stuttering.

Supporters told the committee that limited coverage forces families to pay out of pocket or forgo therapy. “I am Michael Kidd Gilchrist, and I have a stutter,” said Michael Kidd Gilchrist, who described lifelong effects and thanked lawmakers for hearing his testimony. Tracy Paris Benjamin, the mother of an 11‑year‑old who has stuttered since age 4, said she paid out of pocket for seven years and reduced therapy because of cost. “I paid out of pocket for the past seven years. The cost is about $300 a month,” Benjamin said.

The bill’s supporters said expanded coverage would improve access and reduce stigma. Emily Root, a speech‑language pathologist who trains graduate students and treats people who stutter, told the committee that stuttering is a communication disorder that is not linked to intelligence and that about 25% of children who do not “grow out of” early stuttering can continue to have lifetime impacts on school and work. Root said many families cannot get coverage because insurers classify stuttering as not medically necessary in the absence of comorbid conditions.

Why it matters: stuttering coverage affects diagnosis, school services and long‑term employment and mental‑health outcomes for people who stutter and their families. Testimony linked coverage gaps to reduced access to specialized clinicians and to mental‑health harms from untreated communication disorders.

Committee discussion and concerns Witnesses and several senators pushed for coverage while also raising implementation questions. Several committee members praised the bill as bipartisan and necessary; others and a health‑plan trade witness urged caution about cost and plan design. Ward Sanders of the New Jersey Association of Health Plans said the bill as drafted focuses on rehabilitative services and noted differences between rehabilitative and habilitative benefits, and between state‑regulated plans and ERISA‑governed self‑insured employer plans. Sanders told the committee that ERISA plans (commonly multi‑state employer plans) are generally not subject to state coverage mandates and that requiring “first‑dollar” coverage could affect eligibility for federal tax advantages on high‑deductible health plans.

Several senators suggested pairing coverage changes with workforce and school‑based supports. Committee members noted provider shortages for stuttering specialists and recommended coordination with higher‑education programs that train speech clinicians.

Costs, frequency and access details discussed Supporters and clinicians gave the committee specific cost and service details: Emily Root said a typical private half‑hour session runs about $85, and that many clinicians use sliding scales or pro bono work. Tracy Paris Benjamin said her son Miles, age 11, has received speech services for seven years and that the family trimmed services from four sessions a month to two because of household cost pressures. Root said roughly 75% of very young children with disfluent speech will stop stuttering, but 25% do not, and the lifetime incidence of stuttering is about 5% while the point prevalence of people who stutter in the population is near 1%.

Formal action The committee took a procedural vote to release S‑3558. Senators Bramnick, Singer, Johnson, Vice Chair Kryon and Chairman Lagana voted yes; the chair announced “The bill is released.” The committee’s release sends the bill to the next step of Senate consideration.

What the bill would do Senate Bill 3558, sponsors said, would require commercial insurers and the state Medicaid program to cover treatment for stuttering. Witnesses and stakeholders debated whether the language should clarify habilitative versus rehabilitative coverage, whether Medicaid cost‑sharing rules apply, and how ERISA‑governed employer plans would be affected; some stakeholders sought technical amendments to address cost sharing and plan design.

Next steps The committee released the bill; it will proceed in the Senate legislative process for further consideration and potential amendments.