ASAM Joins Letters to CMS on Maternal Health and Custody Exclusion

ASAM recently joined two sign-on letters to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). 

In a letter signed by over 100 organizations, ASAM recommended that CMS finalize a proposal to narrow Medicare’s in-custody definition to no longer include individuals on bail, parole, probation, and home detention. Notably, individuals who are in the custody of penal authorities are ineligible for Medicare coverage. ASAM also encouraged CMS to adopt Medicaid’s interpretation and approach to individuals residing in halfway houses and expand coverage to individuals in those settings, as well.

Read the letter here.

A separate letter signed by 32 organizations, including ASAM, signatories expressed support of proposed CMS actions to address Conditions of Participation for hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) to improve maternal health outcomes. The letter requested that CMS expand the proposals to include substance use-related maternal health needs, recognizing that overdose is now a leading cause of maternal mortality.

Read the letter here.