[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 106 (Monday, June 25, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E906-E907]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INDIVIDUALS IN MEDICAID DESERVE CARE THAT IS APPROPRIATE AND 
                    RESPONSIBLE IN ITS EXECUTION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. GARRET GRAVES

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 20, 2018

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under

[[Page E907]]

     consideration the bill (H.R. 5797) to amend title XIX of the 
     Social Security Act to allow States to provide under Medicaid 
     services for certain individuals with opioid use disorders in 
     institutions for mental diseases:

  Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Chair, I am proud that the House is 
taking urgent action to help people affected by opioid abuse, and I'm 
confident that many of the solutions put forth in this legislation will 
result in more people finding recovery. For treatment centers and 
providers, the IMD exclusion creates an obstacle to their ability to 
deliver substance abuse patients the level of treatment needed for full 
recovery. However, through state waivers in managed-care systems like 
we have in Louisiana, patients in many cases are still able to obtain 
better care than the IMD exclusion otherwise allows. I'm concerned that 
H.R. 5797's limited scope and its 30-day cap could mean less 
flexibility for providers and may actually result in inferior patient 
care compared to what is currently possible through waivers. In 
reality, recovery often takes more than 30 days. Limiting costs and 
rewarding outcomes would offer more flexibility for providers than a 
one-size-fits-all, 30-day cap. As the House considers broader proposals 
to affordably address the IMD exclusion, we should work to identify 
solutions that give more autonomy to frontline providers and that 
foster evidence-based care at the regional, state and local levels.

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