Advocacy
Advocacy
Priorities
Ensuring access to mental health and addiction treatment and recovery services could not be more urgent or important than at this time. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that symptoms of anxiety disorder were approximately three times higher and prevalence of depression about four times higher among adults during the second quarter of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.
Meanwhile, overdoses have spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic with more than 40 states reporting increased opioid-related deaths, and an overall increase in overdoses of 18% between May of 2019 and 2020. At the same time, suicide rates have continued to rise, up 35% between 1999 and 2018, with early indications of additional increases in suicides more recently.
Our Covid-19 webpage is designed to help NABH members access important and applicable resources as they navigate the Covid-19 pandemic.
Removing Barriers to Care
Congress should eliminate outdated federal rules blocking access to cost-effective treatments.
Combating the SUD Crisis
Congress should increase access to substance use disorder treatment.
Expanding the Behavioral Health Workforce
Congress should expand the mental health and substance use disorder workforce.
CEO Update
CEO Update 172
U.S. Overdose Deaths Reach Record High During Covid-19 Pandemic More than 100,000 Americans died of overdoses for the 12-month period that ended in April 2021, marking the first time the number of U.S. overdose deaths has surpassed 100,000 in a year, according to provisional data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). This record number represents ...Read moreCEO Update 171
CMS Freezes CY 2022 Methadone Reimbursement Rates in Interim Final Rule In an interim final rule (IFR), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said it will freeze methadone reimbursement rates for calendar year (CY) 2022. CMS is establishing a limited exception to the current CMS methodology for determining rates for the drug episode of care ...Read moreCEO Update 170
CMS Issues Emergency Rule Requiring Covid-19 Vaccination for Medicare & Medicaid Providers The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Thursday issued an emergency regulation requiring Covid-19 vaccination for eligible staff at certain healthcare facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Facilities covered under this regulation must establish a policy that ensures all eligible ...Read moreCEO Update 169
President Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’ Framework Includes Behavioral Health Provisions President Biden on Thursday announced his framework for a $1.75 trillion spending bill that includes several provisions to address the nation’s myriad behavioral health problems. Known as Build Back Better, the economic framework is the Biden administration’s plan to expand the social safety net and fight climate ...Read more
The National Association for Behavioral Healthcare, are the people on the front lines of this fight…
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden
Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
