American Society of Addiciton Medicine
Aug 8, 2024 Reporting from Rockville, MD
ASAM Applauds Bipartisan Legislation to Close the Medicare Coverage Gap for Community-Based Residential Addiction Treatment
https://www.asam.org/news/detail/2024/08/08/asam-applauds-bipartisan-legislation-to-close-the-medicare-coverage-gap-for--community-based-residential-addiction-treatment
Aug 8, 2024

ASAM Applauds Bipartisan Legislation to Close the Medicare Coverage Gap for Community-Based Residential Addiction Treatment.Substring(0, maxlength)

American Society of Addictin Medicine

News

ASAM Applauds Bipartisan Legislation to Close the Medicare Coverage Gap for Community-Based Residential Addiction Treatment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

August 8, 2024 

 

Rockville, MD – Today, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) applauded the introduction of H.R. 9232 / S. 4860 - the Residential Recovery for Seniors Act, bipartisan legislation that would close the alarming coverage gap in Medicare for non-hospital-based residential addiction treatment programs. Introduced by Senator Bob Casey and Reps. Lauren Underwood, David Valadao, Paul Tonko, and Carol Miller, the Residential Recovery for Seniors Act would create a Medicare Part A benefit for residential addiction treatment programs that meet nationally recognized standards. The legislation would also establish a new prospective payment system for those programs.

“Addiction is a chronic disease that can affect anyone at any age, and sadly there were over 50,000 reported opioid overdoses of Medicare Part D beneficiaries in 2021. This is a major problem that is taking the lives of too many grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles. Yet, despite the urgent need to treat addiction amongst seniors and Americans with disabilities, Medicare remains an outlier in that it still does not cover non-hospital-based residential addiction treatment programs. Fortunately, Congress is stepping up to close this alarming gap. We look forward to working with lawmakers to ensure this vulnerable patient population receives Medicare coverage for the addiction treatment care it needs,” said Brian Hurley, MD, MBA, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)

There is an urgent need for reform. Opioid use disorder among Medicare beneficiaries has skyrocketed over the years. A report from the Legal Action Center demonstrates that a modest federal investment would provide life-saving Medicare coverage for an estimated 75,637 residential treatment episodes per year under Medicare - averting unnecessary hospitalizations, supporting more opportunities for recovery, saving more lives, and reducing costs to the Medicare program.

“The Residential Recovery for Seniors Act is a long-overdue solution that will help many Medicare beneficiaries living with addiction get coverage for evidence-based residential addiction treatment. We applaud these Congressional leaders for introducing this vital, bipartisan bill and urge all Members of Congress to support it,” said Dr. Hurley.

 

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About the American Society of Addiction Medicine  

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), founded in 1954, is a professional medical society representing over 7,000 physicians, clinicians, and associated professionals in the field of addiction medicine. ASAM is dedicated to increasing access and improving the quality of addiction treatment, educating physicians and the public, supporting research and prevention and promoting the appropriate role of physicians in the care of patients with addiction. For more information, visit www.ASAM.org.