NEW JERSEY — Before Michael Kidd-Gilchrist hit the big time as a professional basketball player, he grew up in New Jersey, making a name for himself as a star at St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth. He also faced challenges off the court, struggling with stuttering and bullying – but never giving up.
Now, the Garden State has a chance to make a big difference for others like him with a proposed state law that would require health insurers and the state Medicaid program to cover treatment for stuttering, he says.
Kidd-Gilchrist is one of the advocates who are throwing their support behind S-3558. The bill unanimously passed a bipartisan vote in the Senate Commerce Committee last month.
Here’s what it will do if it crosses the finish line:
“S-3558 would require private and public health insurers and the state Medicaid program to cover medical expenses incurred in treating stuttering, including habilitative and rehabilitative speech therapy. The covered individual's medical doctor would determine whether treatment is necessary. Under the bill, coverage would be provided whether the services are delivered in-person or through telemedicine or telehealth, with the imposition of any prior authorization or other utilization management requirements, and without cost-sharing.”
The bill has picked up support from its sponsors in the Senate, Teresa Ruiz and James Beach, as well as Alixon Collazos-Gill, one of the prime sponsors of a companion bill in the New Jersey Assembly alongside Andrea Katz and Shama Haider. Read More :NJ Bill Would Force Health Insurers To Cover Treatments For Stuttering
The proposed law has found a big fan in Kidd-Gilchrist, who has become an outspoken advocate for the stuttering community since ending his playing career with the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks.
The former NBA star recently testified before a Senate committee about the impact the bill could have (watch video footage here).
“I have been blessed enough to play basketball, but that is not who I am as a person,” he told lawmakers. “This means the world to me and my family, but also those I’m here for.”
Kidd-Gilchrist recently reached out to Patch, urging his home state to give the proposed law a chance.
“This bill would be a significant step forward for New Jersey by making sure that people who stutter have proper access to speech therapy,” he explained. “Right now, many face barriers to receiving care because it’s not always recognized as medically necessary, but for those who stutter, speech therapy can be life changing.”
“Speech therapy provides children and adults with the tools they need to communicate confidently and effectively,” he continued. “It helps reduce isolation and improves their overall quality of life.”
Kidd-Gilchrist said that stuttering shaped his life tremendously, from his childhood growing up in Somerdale, to his career in professional basketball.
“Growing up as a Jersey kid, I had a great upbringing,” Kidd-Gilchrist said. But what people didn’t see what the internal isolation … the bullying … being “overlooked” and struggling to express himself.
“Simple conversations felt like obstacles, but I refused to give up,” he recalled.
“On the court I didn’t have to speak much, so I was able to just focus on my game, but off the court, press conferences and interviews were tough,” Kidd-Gilchrist said.
Stuttering has had a similar impact on his personal life, he said, including interactions with his teachers, with peers, at social events – you name it.
“Every aspect of my life became much harder because I communicated a little bit differently,” he said.
Eventually, the New Jersey native said he learned to embrace his stutter and turn it into a platform for advocacy.
“I want to make sure that others who stutter have the support and opportunities they deserve,” he told Patch.
Kidd-Gilchrist has advocated for other stuttering-related laws in Kentucky and Pennsylvania, and is the founder of Change & Impact Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to improving health care access and expanding resources for individuals who stutter.
In recognition of his leadership and impact in the stuttering community, Kidd-Gilchrist was honored with the 2024 Annie Glenn Award by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
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