New Hampshire Delegation Applauds Extension of Medicaid Waiver Expanding Substance Use Disorder Treatment Availability in New Hampshire

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), alongside U.S. Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01), applauded the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) extension of a waiver that will allow New Hampshire to continue providing Medicaid payments for individuals receiving substance use disorder services, short-term inpatient psychiatric treatment and short-term residential mental health treatment for serious mental illness. As part of the extension, the state will also implement a new Community Reentry component designed to improve formerly incarcerated individuals’ transitions back into their communities by enhancing care coordination pre-release. In June, the delegation wrote a letter in support of this extension, requested by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, to help the state continue to meet the high demand for substance use disorder treatment.

“As New Hampshire continues to feel the effects of the substance use disorder crisis, including 430 overdose deaths in 2023, every effort must be made to help deliver services to those who need them most,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m very pleased that CMS approved an extension of this critical waiver that has already helped many Granite Staters access a wide range of life-saving care options.”

“Expanding access to addiction treatment is crucial as we continue working to combat the fentanyl crisis, and treating people in jail or prison before they re-enter society will help them continue to get addiction care and stay in recovery once they return home,” said Senator Hassan. “I am pleased that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has heeded our call and allowed New Hampshire to help more people get the care that they need, including medication-assisted treatment, the gold standard for addiction care.”

“New Hampshire is no stranger to the devastating impacts of the opioid epidemic and overdose crisis, and the state’s Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waiver has played a critical role in providing the treatment and support necessary for those in the criminal justice system to heal, recover, and thrive upon release,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “This crucial extension will allow New Hampshire to better coordinate treatment and care services for inmates, help reduce recidivism rates, and most importantly, improve health outcomes for justice-involved individuals when they reenter their communities. I will continue pushing for an all-of-the-above government response to tackle the addiction and mental health crisis gripping our country.”

“Access to substance use disorder and mental health treatment is critical as we continue working to combat the addiction epidemic and help Granite Staters in need,” said Congressman Pappas. “This extension will save lives and improve outcomes by strengthening access and care coordination. I’ll keep advocating for solutions that will help New Hampshire make progress in confronting the addiction and mental health crisis.”

The waiver addresses the Medicaid Institution for Mental Diseases exclusion, which bars Medicaid matching funds from being used to treat Medicaid beneficiaries in mental health facilities with more than 16 beds. This exclusion places burdens on smaller facilities to meet service capacity needs that exceed the smaller facilities’ resources. The delegation first successfully advocated for the approval of the waiver in 2018. 

Senator Shaheen and the New Hampshire delegation have led efforts to address the substance use disorder crisis and ensure Granite Staters can access care. The delegation recently announced $29,880,604 in State Opioid Response (SOR) grants for New Hampshire. Shaheen and Hassan fought to secure this funding in the government funding legislation for fiscal year (FY) 2024 that was signed into law. Increased funding followed the passage of Shaheen-led legislation, the State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act, which increased funding and provided critical flexibilities for states administering SOR spending. In recent years, Shaheen and Hassan successfully pushed the Department of Health and Human Services to maintain SOR funding levels for New Hampshire and avoid significant cliffs in funding year-over-year. Shaheen and Hassan's efforts have led to a more than tenfold increase in federal treatment and prevention funding for New Hampshire.

In the FY 2024 government funding legislation, Shaheen secured more than $17 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support health care and education needs.

In June, Senator Hassan, along with Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), led a bipartisan push urging CMS to expand access to medication-assisted treatment in 18 states for people in jail or prison who will soon be reentering society by approving all relevant Section 1115 Medicaid waiver applications. The approval of these waivers in New Hampshire allows the state to initiate treatment before release, which reduces an individual’s chance of relapse and can save money for state Medicaid programs.

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