Kentucky bill to expand coverage for stuttering services advances with assist from ex-NBA player

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — 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.

“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.