SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3502

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MAY 18, 2026

      The Senate Commerce Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3502.

      As amended, this bill requires health insurers (health, hospital and medical service corporations, commercial individual and group health insurers, health maintenance organizations, health benefits plans issued pursuant to the New Jersey Individual Health Coverage and Small Employer Health Benefits Programs, the State Health Benefits Program, and the School Employees’ Health Benefits Program) and the State Medicaid program to provide coverage for medical expenses incurred in the treatment of stuttering, including habilitative speech therapy and rehabilitative speech therapy.  The coverage is required if the treatment is medically necessary, or neurogenic or developmental, as determined by the covered person’s medical doctor or licensed speech-language pathologist.  The bill requires coverage to be provided whether the services are delivered in-person or through telemedicine or telehealth.

      Pursuant to the bill, “habilitative speech therapy" means speech therapy that helps a person keep, learn, or improve skills and functioning for daily living; and “rehabilitative speech therapy" means speech therapy that helps a person restore or improve skills and functioning for daily living that have been lost or impaired.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

      (1)  incorporate coverage for stuttering that is neurogenic or developmental;

      (2)  add a definition of “licensed speech-language pathologist” and stipulate that a licensed speech-language pathologist can determine if coverage for stuttering is medically necessary or neurogenic or developmental;

      (3)  remove the prohibitions against prior authorization or other utilization management requirements and against cost-sharing; and

      (4)  make technical updates.