NNews March 2024

10 March 2024 “Network adequacy and reimbursement rates will be the next huge frontier. It will be another enormous game changer if all insurance carriers are required to follow the parity law and reimburse all providers sufficiently,” Samuels stated, adding that this will also help address the workforce shortage. LAC has also pioneered litigation. “We go after jails and prisons, drug courts and others in the criminal justice system and healthcare settings that don’t allowmedication- assisted treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) and other SUDs. We have enlisted the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in these initiatives,” Samuels said. “This is a real opportunity to knock out the barriers to OUD treatment all over the country.” LAC Launches Initiatives to Increase Access to All Types of Behavioral Health Care Related to OUD and other SUD treatment is harm reduction. “We are excited by the progress in promoting harm reduction, but muchmore is still needed. There’s still a lot of resistance to needle exchange,” according to Samuels. “Research of opioid prevention centers demonstrates that harm reduction is very effective in different parts of the country.” Another example of LAC’s proactive efforts is a seminal legal analysis the group conducted on emergency rooms (ERs). “We found that it’s a violation of several laws of ERs not appropriately assessing people for SUD and not providing or linking them to care that’s needed,” Samuels said. “We laid it out as a legal case, but we’re not pursuing litigation yet, as we’re hoping that EDs will step up to the plate, and a number of them are.” “Regulatory and reimbursement issues need to be addressed to get where we need to be. There are so many people in ERs because they’re in crisis, though it’s not always immediately apparent that the crises are substance use related. It’s the legal responsibility of EDs to assess for and treat SUD. This will be another huge game changer in providing needed treatment,” Samuels stressed. LAC is also working to address barriers for individuals who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. “Though people know about Medicare and Medicaid separately, much education is needed about the dually eligible population. It’s difficult to address Medicaid and Medicare alone, and the challenges are compounded for the dually eligible,” said Steinberg, who noted that LAC recently published a report on this issue. This document, Two Plans Are Not Always Better Than One: Barriers to Substance Use Disorder Treatment for Dual- Eligible Individuals, can be viewed by clicking here. LAC Credits Collaboration for its Impact “We appreciate NJAMHAA’s and other organizations’ collaboration. It’s key to all our successes.” Samuels said. “Over the years, we have worked a lot with NJAMHAA and other state and national associations to expand block grant funding and address other policy areas, including parity and discrimination. We also led advocacy on behalf of civil rights of people in recovery and those who are still using substances, and we ensured that the Americans with Disabilities Act protects people with SUD,” Samuels added. “ I wanted to do advocacy for an organization that also provides direct legal services. LAC does this and has strong ties to the policy and community work. ” Deborah Steinberg, JD Senior Health Policy Attorney (continued from page 9) (continued on page 11)