Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) introduced H.R. 7156, the Medicaid Coverage for Addiction Recovery Expansion (CARE) Act – a bipartisan bill that would expand access to treatment for people struggling with substance use disorder.
This measure would help countless Medicaid recipients across the country, including thousands in Illinois, access comprehensive intensive inpatient treatment for substance uses and addiction.
“An outdated Medicaid policy is preventing people from accessing much-needed substance use disorder treatment,” Foster said. “If we are serious about fighting the opioid epidemic, we need to align our policies with our present-day understanding of addiction as a treatable medical condition, not a moral failing. The Medicaid CARE Act would do just that and get comprehensive substance use disorder treatment to the patients who need it the most.”
The Medicaid CARE Act is co-sponsored by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), and Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ).