Health and Fitness

Congresswoman Duckworth Helps Introduce Medicaid CARE Act to Expand Access to Substance Abuse Treatment Under Medicaid


Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–May 23, 2016.  Last week Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) joined Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) to introduce the Medicaid Coverage for Addiction Recovery Expansion (CARE) Act. This bill would expand access to treatment for people struggling to receive needed addiction care by lifting a current Medicaid ban and enabling beneficiaries to seek out inpatient treatment in mental health and substance abuse treatment centers. This measure would help thousands of people across the country, including 2,000 Medicaid beneficiaries in Illinois who receive treatment for substance abuse and addiction each year.

“With Illinois and our entire nation struggling in the face of a growing opioid addiction epidemic, the last thing we should be doing is preventing people from accessing the care they need to recover,” said Congresswoman Duckworth. “But that’s exactly what current policies are doing, and it’s only getting worse as our state continues to slash treatment funding. If we’re serious about helping people recover from addiction, we have to do more not less—so I’m proud to work with Congressman Foster on this legislation to help thousands of Illinoisans get the care they need.”

“An outdated Medicaid policy is preventing people from accessing substance abuse treatment,” said Foster. “Studies have shown that just 12 percent of people are actually receiving the care they need because of antiquated definitions of addiction and mental illness. If we are serious about fighting back against drug addiction, we need to align our policies with our present-day understanding of addiction as a treatable medical condition. The Medicaid CARE Act is designed to get care to patients who need it the most.”

The Medicaid CARE Act is also co-sponsored by Rep. Elijah Cummings (MD-07), Rep. Katherine Clark (MA-05), Rep. Ron Kind (WI-03), Rep. Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Rep. Mike Quigley (IL-05), Rep. Tim Ryan (OH-13), and Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-11). This bill would be the House companion to S. 2605, a bill introduced by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). The full text of the bill is available here.

Source: http://www.duckworth.house.gov


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