Advocacy Alert: Advocacy Alert: Ohio Senators Add Proposal to Lift the IMD Exclusion

Sep 27, 2018

As you know, BHAP has been working hard with our petition to Repeal the IMD Exclusion. We've presented the petition to the President and the United States House of Representatives.

Earlier today, Senator Rob Portman sent a press release about how he and Senator Sherrod Brown have been able to add a bipartisan proposal to lift the IMD Exclusion. As the press release states, "The IMD exclusion is an arcane, decades-old policy that prohibits states from using federal Medicaid dollars to pay for treatment at residential mental health or substance abuse facilities with more than 16 beds. This policy limits access to treatment, hampers behavioral health parity, and prevents many Americans from getting the help they need. The senators' bipartisan bill would lift this outdated cap for five years, covering all substance-use disorders, so more Americans can access treatment services at these inpatient facilities."

Please contact Senator Rob Portman and Senator Sherrod Brown to support their efforts in adding language to the House-Senate Opioid Package to repeal the IMD Exclusion. With the help of BHAP members, we can finally rid the behavioral health industry of this arcane law that contributes to the lack of behavioral health treatment access across the nation.

If you did not have the opportunity to sign the petition, it's not too late. The petition results will be forwarded to the United States Senate as legislation moves forward, so please sign the petition now.