ASAM Voices Concern Over Proposed Federal Rule that Could Limit Addiction Treatment Access

In a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), ASAM urged federal officials not to finalize parts of a newly proposed rule that could make it harder for people to get addiction treatment services. ASAM warned that proposed changes for essential health benefits (EHBs) could unintentionally lead states to scale back coverage for SUD treatment. ASAM also raised alarms about proposed changes to allow marketplace insurers to operate with fewer or even no contracted providers, and remove network adequacy standards like time/distance, and appointment wait times. If finalized, these changes could exacerbate existing provider shortages and make it even harder for people to find quality treatment. Instead of finalizing these proposals, ASAM encouraged CMS to work with the Society to update EHB standards to account for advances in the addiction treatment field since EHBs were first introduced.