|
Reps. Marcia Fudge, Marcy Kaptur and Tim Ryan Applaud New
CMS Medicaid/SUD Guidance
Ohio co-sponsors of the Breaking Addiction Act of 2015
applaud new CMS guidance
Special to The Truth
U. S. Representatives Marcia Fudge (OH-11), Marcy
Kaptur (OH-9) and Tim Ryan (OH-13) applaud new guidance from
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for
states to improve access to treatment for individuals
suffering from substance abuse disorders (SUDs). The new
rules allow states to design and test innovative mental
health service delivery programs and apply for funding under
Medicaid.
“The heroin epidemic in the United States is growing.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), heroin-related deaths nearly doubled between 2011 and
2013, with more than 8,200 people dying in 2013 alone. More
than 980 of these were Ohio residents. As a nation, we
should be doing everything we can to save American lives.
While there is still much work to be done, I applaud the new
guidance from CMS. Allowing states increased flexibility to
test Medicaid coverage for substance use treatment is a
giant step in the right direction,” said Rep. Fudge.
“Addiction is a disease, and the people suffering from it
deserve the same opportunities for care that are available
to anyone else who gets sick in this country. Treatment is
also the most efficient and cost-effective way to help
families and communities respond to addiction, especially as
rates of heroin and synthetic drug overdose, prescription
drug abuse, and other forms of addiction continue to
rise in our region and across the country. This
announcement from CMS paves the way for Ohio and all states
to address this growing public health concern,” said Rep.
Kaptur.
“Day in and day out, I hear tragic stories of families and
communities broken apart by drug use and am left heartbroken
every time. Unfortunately in Ohio, only 1 in 10 people in
need of treatment have access to it. That is why I applaud
this move to increase opportunities and develop innovative
treatment solutions to begin to stem the tide of this
growing epidemic we face in Ohio and all across the United
States,” said Rep. Ryan.
Representatives Fudge, Kaptur and Ryan introduced the
Breaking Addiction Act of 2015 earlier this year to give
states the flexibility to use federal Medicaid matching
funds for mental health treatment. Click
here
to read the Breaking Addiction Act of 2015. Visit
https://www.cms.gov/
to learn more about the new guidance and service delivery
opportunities
|
