Ex-NBA player helps Kentucky bill for stutter treatment insurance advance

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The Kentucky Senate voted on Thursday to expand insurance coverage for people seeking treatment for stuttering, and the bill's sponsor credited a former basketball star with the assist.

The Senate action to advance the bill came after Michael Kidd-Gilchrist endorsed the measure at a Senate committee hearing. Kidd-Gilchrist played on a national championship team at the University of Kentucky and then spent several years playing in the NBA.

But it's his willingness to open up about his own struggles with stuttering that won praise Thursday.

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"He's a hero and a game-changer for using his position and his influence to do good for people that don't have the resources that he had access to," said Republican state Sen. Whitney Westerfield.

Westerfield said his bill aims to help many more Kentuckians receive the treatment they need.

"There are a lot of Kentuckians ... who either don’t have coverage, have coverage and it’s limited by these arbitrary caps -- say 20 visit therapy sessions and that’s it -- regardless of what your need is," he said. "You might need 10 times that many. But you can’t get it. And so unless you’ve got gold-plated coverage, and most Kentuckians don’t, you end up having to try to pay for it out of pocket."

Charlotte Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is seen in an NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 29, 2019, in Memphis, Tenn. The Kentucky Senate voted on March 7, 2024, to expand insurance coverage for people