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Attorney General Mike DeWine
Congress Called on to
Make Drug Treatment More Affordable and Accessible
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Today, Attorney General Mike DeWine and Pennsylvania
Attorney General Josh Shapiro, along with a bipartisan coalition of 39
Attorneys General and the National Association of Attorneys General,
called on Congress to pass legislation that changes federal law to make
treatment for drug addiction more affordable and accessible for
Americans who most need it.
The coalition of Attorneys General sent a letter supporting HR 2938,
the “Road to Recovery” Act, to the U.S. House of Representatives,
describing the national epidemic of heroin and opioid abuse and
overdose deaths, and stating: “… [W]e cannot arrest our way out of this
problem, because it is not just a public safety challenge – it is a
public health challenge as well.”
“In Ohio last year more than 4,000 people died as the result of a drug
overdose,” said Attorney General Mike DeWine. “The ‘Road to Recovery’
Act will help those struggling with addiction gain access to treatment,
and eliminate a decades-old Medicaid rule that limits residential
treatment options. I am pleased to help spearhead this effort
with my colleague Attorney General Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and be
supported by attorneys general from across the nation.”
The “Road to Recovery” Act will help increase access to treatment for
opioid addiction by removing a more than 50-year-old provision in the
Medicaid program that currently acts as a barrier to residential
addiction treatment.
The bill addresses the “Institutions for Mental Diseases” (IMD)
exclusion which was created in the original 1965 Medicaid legislation
to prevent the funding of large, residential mental health facilities.
While the exclusion led to the closure of what were, in many cases,
inhumane institutions, it now has the unintended effect of limiting
Medicaid funding for residential treatment facilities, which can be one
of the most effective ways to treat drug addiction.
The “Road to Recovery” Act will remove the exclusion for addiction
treatment facilities only. This will help open new avenues for
addiction treatment while maintaining appropriate restrictions on
mental health facilities.
The change in the law is supported by health care providers, insurers,
treatment centers, governors of both political parties and the
President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid
Crisis.
To view a copy of today’s letter, please visit the Ohio Attorney
General's website.
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