November 9, 2017

The President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis releases its list of 56 recommendations for the administration to address the ongoing opioid challenge across the country. While the Commission acknowledged the need for federal resources and funds to implement these recommendations, they do not call for an increase in federal funding. Instead, the Commission did recommend that the President review a decades-old rule referred to as the “IMD exclusion,” which effectively prohibits Medicaid patients from receiving long-term addiction treatment from facilities larger than 16 beds. The Chamber and its members in the Healthcare Committee have long advocated for reconsideration of the IMD exclusion as it results in a limited availability of long-term services for those struggling with chronic, acute addiction issues. Given the current homeless crisis that is often connected to addiction and mental health challenges, this could present an opportunity to expand services and access federal funds for those local programs.