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NABH Applauds Congress for Reaching Agreement on Opioid-Response Package

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jessica Zigmond 202.393.6700, ext. 101 jessica@nabh.org   NABH Applauds Congress for Reaching Agreement on Opioid-Response Package WASHINGTON, DC (September 26, 2018) — On behalf of more than 1,000 mental health hospitals and addiction treatment centers, the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare thanks Congress for reaching an agreement to address America’s deadly opioid crisis. The final package includes many NABH-supported measures and contains the first substantive change to the Medicaid program’s burdensome Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion since the early 1970s. “NABH thanks House Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) for his strong leadership in the House, which helped ensure that his colleagues paid close attention to the IMD exclusion, an antiquated regulation that has denied access to inpatient treatment for those who need it,” said NABH President and CEO Mark Covall. “We also thank Reps. Mimi Walters (R-Calif.) and Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) for their tireless efforts to understand the IMD exclusion—and do all they can to repeal this provision and remove access barriers to behavioral healthcare services for millions of Americans.” NABH is also pleased with several other provisions in the final package and urges lawmakers to pass this legislation as soon as possible. Lives depend on it.

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About NABH The National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH) advocates for behavioral healthcare and represents provider systems that are committed to the delivery of responsive, accountable, and clinically effective prevention, treatment, and care for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults with mental and substance use disorders. Its members are behavioral healthcare provider organizations that own or manage more than 1,000 specialty psychiatric hospitals, general hospital psychiatric and addiction treatment units and behavioral healthcare divisions, residential treatment facilities, youth services organizations, and extensive outpatient networks. The association was founded in 1933.