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Portman, Brown Propose Eliminating Bed Limit For Addiction Treatment Centers

A look inside the Beacon House, a residential treatment facility in Wooster.
Dan Konik
A look inside the Beacon House, a residential treatment facility in Wooster.

Ohio’s U.S. Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown are proposing a major policy shift for residential treatment facilities. The bipartisan proposal gets rid of the Institutions for Mental Disease exclusion, which bans any additional Medicaid funding for treatment centers with more than 16 beds.

Addiction recovery advocates say the change in Congress will help treatment centers open their doors to more people in need.

“This is a really pivotal moment in the behavioral health field and our ability to respond appropriately as communities to people recovering from addiction and managing their mental health recovery as well," says Lori Criss with the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health and Family Service Providers.

The measure is part of a larger bill addressing opioid addiction and treatment, which has passed the U.S. House and awaits a U.S. Senate vote. It would eliminate the 16-bed rule for five years, giving Congress a chance to examine how much it might increase costs before possibly making a permanent change. 

Andy Chow is a general assignment state government reporter who focuses on environmental, energy, agriculture, and education-related issues. He started his journalism career as an associate producer with ABC 6/FOX 28 in Columbus before becoming a producer with WBNS 10TV.
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