The opioid crisis has plagued our Commonwealth for far too long. It is an epidemic that has touched each of us in some way and is wreaking havoc on our communities and the lives of loved ones. Sharon White, our treasured constituent and devoted mother of a child who suffered from addiction, has battled the stigma associated with the disease.

Sharon obtained a prescription for the life-saving medication naloxone – a proven opioid reversal agent that has saved thousands of Pennsylvanians from dying of an opioid overdose – in case she needed it to revive her son, Lloyd. Tragically, Lloyd, a promising, intelligent, and loving young man, lost his battle with addiction. Subsequently, Sharon later applied for life insurance for herself but was denied coverage because she had naloxone in her prescription profile. This discrimination took place because Sharon had accessed a life-saving prescription, not for herself, but for her son.

It is for this reason that we are introducing Lloyd’s Law, a bill aimed at prohibiting insurers from denying coverage to individuals just because they have an opioid reversal agent in their prescription profile. When providers deny insurance coverage to the friends and family of those suffering with addiction just because they have possessed a life-saving medication, it effectively discourages people from obtaining naloxone and other agents and leaves more Pennsylvanians at risk of losing a loved one.

As we move forward with finding ways to combat the opioid epidemic, we need to be sure we are supporting the friends and family of those in the recovery community. As leaders in public health policy, we encourage you to join us in taking a step toward ending the stigma and discrimination surrounding substance use disorders.