PRINTER'S NO. 4050
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
1085
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY DiGIROLAMO, YOUNGBLOOD, HARKINS, GODSHALL, GAINEY,
D. COSTA, STEPHENS, WATSON, LONGIETTI, DAVIS, SAYLOR,
MILLARD, STURLA, IRVIN, McNEILL, SCHLOSSBERG, DIAMOND,
SCHWEYER AND HARHAI, OCTOBER 18, 2016
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, OCTOBER 18, 2016
A RESOLUTION
Urging the President of the United States and the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services to halt implementation of the
new 15-day limit on Medicaid coverage for addiction treatment
in residential addiction treatment programs with more than 16
beds.
WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 3,662 Pennsylvanians lost their lives to preventable
drug and alcohol related deaths in 2014; and
WHEREAS, One in four families is directly affected by a
family member with an alcohol or drug problem; and
WHEREAS, According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse in
2012, untreated addiction costs the United States an estimated
$428 billion each year in loss of productivity, alcohol and drug
related illnesses and health care, crashes, incarcerations,
court and other enforcement provisions; and
WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's share of the
annual cost of untreated addiction is an estimated $21 billion
per year; and
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WHEREAS, According to a 1993 report by the National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, one in
every five dollars spent by Medicaid in hospitals is
attributable to untreated drug and alcohol addiction; and
WHEREAS, According to a 1995 report by the National Institute
of Justice, 80% to 90% of all crime in the United States is
related to drug or alcohol addiction; and
WHEREAS, According to the National Survey of Substance Abuse
in 2013, 88% of patients receiving inpatient addiction treatment
receive the treatment in a residential, nonhospital setting; and
WHEREAS, Also in 2013, 70% of patients receiving addiction
treatment in residential settings remained there for more than
30 days; and
WHEREAS, A new rule from the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services will limit Federal Medicaid match to 15 days a
month; and
WHEREAS, This rule will severely damage the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania's ability to address the heroin and opioid
addiction epidemic; and
WHEREAS, The new rule will severely reduce access to
residential treatment for people who are poor, for pregnant
addicted women and women with dependent children and for low-
level drug offenders coming out of jails and prisons; and
WHEREAS, In 2016, 29 United States Senators signed a letter
strongly urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
to remove drug and alcohol addiction treatment from the
Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) Exclusion; and
WHEREAS, In 2016, the National Governors Association
identified elimination of the IMD Exclusion for substance use
disorders as one of their priorities to help states expand
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access to addiction treatment; and
WHEREAS, The National Governors Association then wrote to the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services opposing the 15-day
limit; and
WHEREAS, Forty-three Governors signed the "Compact to Fight
Opioid Addiction" that calls for reducing this type of
administrative barrier in Medicaid; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs of the
Commonwealth and the Department of Human Services of the
Commonwealth oppose the 15-day limit; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services estimates that the
new 15-day limit will reduce funding for treatment by
approximately $180 million a year; and
WHEREAS, Both the IMD Exclusion and the Medicaid rule violate
the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the President of the United
States and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to
halt implementation of the new 15-day limit on Medicaid coverage
for addiction treatment in residential addiction treatment
programs with more than 16 beds; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
the Governor of Pennsylvania and to each member of Congress from
Pennsylvania to assist in efforts urging the President to halt
implementation of the new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services rule and urging the President to remove the drug and
alcohol addiction treatment from the IMD Exclusion by executive
order.
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