A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general on Monday called on Congress to allow Medicaid funding to flow to larger drug treatment centers, potentially expanding the number of addicts who can get help as the nation grapples with an overdose crisis. The attorneys general want Congress to allow Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for low-income people, to pay for drug treatment in centers with more than 16 beds. The change would allow Medicaid-covered addiction treatment at larger centers, which the attorneys general say would open up more beds. Monday's letter was the latest step taken by attorneys general from both parties in response to the opioid epidemic. Several states and cities, including Washington and Seattle, have sued drug companies, blaming the opioid epidemic for ravaging communities.

Source: ABC News October 02, 2017 21:02 UTC