This Act encourages patients to choose physical therapy, occupational therapy, and neuromuscular massage therapy as a safe alternative to opioid use for managing acute and chronic pain by doing the following:
1. Eliminating cost-sharing for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and neuromuscular massage therapy services.
2. Expanding the prohibition on annual or lifetime numerical limits on physical therapy, occupational therapy, and neuromuscular massage therapy services to the treatment of any chronic or acute musculoskeletal pain or post-surgical therapy.
This Act applies to individual health insurance policies under Chapter 33 of Title 18, group and blanket health insurance policies under Chapter 35 of Title 18, the State employee health plan under Chapter 52 of Title 29, and Medicaid under Chapter 5 of Title 31.
This Act applies to all policies, contracts, or certificates issued, renewed, modified, altered, amended, or reissued after December 31, 2025.
This Act expires December 31, 2030.
This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Statutes affected: Original Text: 24.2621, 29.5203, 31.503