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Evaluation Video ViewAttendees 7

Workshop

Public Policy/Regulatory and Financial Issues

3 - Movement in Medicare: New and Improved Coverage of Substance Use Disorders

Monday, May 20, 2024
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM PST
Location: Celebrity 1-4
CE: 1.5
Presentation Summary: Approximately 4.3 million adults ages 65 and older have a substance use disorder (SUD), yet less than 10% of them received any treatment within the past year, often due to financial barriers. Medicare – the federal insurance program for older adults and people with disabilities – still lacks coverage for the full continuum of SUD services, providers, and settings and is not subject to the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. However, recently passed laws and proposed regulations are incrementally improving this disparity, including new coverage of licensed professional counselors, intensive outpatient treatment, and peer support specialists.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this activity, participants will:
  • Identify the prevalence of substance use disorders among Medicare beneficiaries, including the high rate at which these conditions go untreated and the main reasons beneficiaries forgo treatment.
  • Compare and contrast Medicare’s current and forthcoming coverage of substance use disorder treatment with that of other types of insurance, including Medicaid and private insurance, and with evidence-based practices.
  • Identify legislative and regulatory reforms that would ameliorate this disparity and summarize the recent research that support these proposals to facilitate advocacy.