Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on H.R. 5800, the Medicaid Institutions of Mental Disease ADDITIONAL INFO Act. This bill would require the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission to conduct a comparative study to assess IMD quality in States and issue a report on requirements applicable to and practices of institutions for mental disease under the Medicaid program. We know that nearly half of all States already have or have applied for 1,115 waivers that allow for IMD services to be provided to patients with substance use disorder. Additional States provide IMD services already to patients in Medicaid through their managed care programs. It is important to understand the overall quality of institutions of mental disease that exists throughout the country. This cannot be accomplished without data on our current IMDs. The study will include information on how many institutions for mental disease are within States coverage limitations, services they provide, whether States have a waiver to provide such coverage through Medicaid, and funding involved with such institutions. Additionally, this study will seek recommendations on how State Medicaid programs can provide the standards of care provided by IMDs. Additional data is obviously a good goal, particularly on IMD coverage, given the controversy surrounding this issue, and so I support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”