Responding to a request from Senate Finance Committee leaders for policy recommendations to address the opioid epidemic, AHA urged the committee Friday to preserve health insurance coverage through the exchanges and Medicaid, which provide substance use disorder treatment benefits for a substantial number of Americans, and report out legislation to end the Institutions for Mental Disease exclusion. “This exclusion prohibits Medicaid from paying for care for patients between ages 21 and 64 who are hospitalized in inpatient psychiatric hospitals, thus making it extremely challenging for those of limited means to receive effective treatment for substance use disorders,” noted AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels. Among other policy changes, AHA encouraged Congress to support the Protecting Jessica Grubb’s Legacy Act (S. 1850), which would fully align 42 CFR Part 2 regulations with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; enhance enforcement of mental health parity in health coverage; incentivize medication-assisted treatment training for providers; and consider dedicated funding to promote interstate data sharing among prescription drug monitoring programs and providers.

Related News Articles

Headline
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., July 15 introduced legislation that would repeal some of the Medicaid funding reductions included in the recently enacted One Big…
Chairperson's File
Public
This month Congress enacted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — a sweeping package that contained many of President Trump’s legislative priorities on taxes,…
Headline
Fairview Health Services, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit health system of 10 hospitals and medical centers serving the greater Twin Cities metro area and north-…
Headline
The Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award honors rural hospitals that are leading the way in innovative, sustainable and community-centered care. If…
Headline
AHA’s Circle of Life Award celebrates innovation in palliative and end-of-life care and seeks to provide best practices and models for the field. Programs and…
Headline
The AHA encourages hospitals and health systems that are committed to leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health to apply for its 2026…