HHS To Relax Outdated Restrictions On Medicaid Funding For Mental Health Inpatient Treatment
The initial exclusion was meant to phase out the use of psychiatric wards by preventing Medicaid from paying for treatment in facilities with more than 16 beds, but this rule ended up leaving many vulnerable patients without care. The expanded waivers would let Medicaid pay for patients for an average of 30 days.
The Associated Press:
More Leeway For States To Expand Inpatient Mental Health
The Trump administration Tuesday allowed states to provide more inpatient treatment for people with serious mental illness by tapping Medicaid, a potentially far-reaching move to address issues from homelessness to violence. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar made the announcement Tuesday in a speech to state Medicaid directors, a group that represents Republican and Democratic officials from around the country who are confronting common, deeply-rooted social problems. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/13)
The Hill:
Trump Administration Loosens Restrictions On Mental Health Treatment
“Different forms of treatment work for different patients, but the decades-old restriction on Medicaid reimbursement for inpatient treatment at institutions for mental diseases, or IMDs, has been a significant barrier,” Azar said Tuesday during a speech to the National Association of Medicaid Directors. The initial exclusion was meant to phase out the use of psychiatric wards by preventing Medicaid from paying for treatment in facilities with more than 16 beds. States were responsible for the care of people with severe mental illness in those facilities. (Weixel, 11/13)
