WASHINGTON– Today, in a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14) signed up with Senator Penis Durbin (IL) to urge CMS to act right away to address the quickly rising rates of substance usage conditions among older grownups in Illinois.
” In discussions with members of my neighborhood, I have actually heard heartbreaking stories about households who have actually lost older loved ones to opioid dependency– especially to heroin,” stated Underwood. ” This loss of life is extremely awful, however it’s likewise avoidable. Medicare recipients require and should have top quality dependency treatment alternatives, and I contact CMS to take swift and detailed action to broaden gain access to to evidence-based efforts to avoid and reward substance usage conditions among older Americans.”
The rates of heroin and drug abuse among older Americans have actually reached crisis levels. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the total number of drug overdose deaths in Illinois increased 60 percent in between 2013 and 2018, and the overdose death rate for those 65 and older increased by more than 86 percent.
Older Americans deal with other extreme health effects connected with substance usage conditions, consisting of increased danger of suicide, state of mind conditions, lung and heart disease, and memory issues.
” It appears that substance usage condition is ending up being a growing crisis throughout the board, consisting of among older Illinoisans. We can not permit more households to grieve the loss of an enjoyed one since of an absence of resources to address this crisis,” statedDurbin ” In our letter, Agent Underwood and I urge the administration to utilize every authority at its disposal to connect and aid Medicare recipients who might be battling with dependency.”
” The Illinois Association for Behavioral Health praises Agent Underwood’s and Senator Durbin’s management in calling for much better protection of substance usage treatment services under Medicare,” stated Jud DeLoss, CEO of the Illinois Association of Behavioral Health, a company assisting neighborhoods and senior citizens with substance usage conditions. “Broadening inexpensive treatment gain access to for older grownups by offering compensation for community-based property treatment centers would conserve lives and enhance health results for a generation at danger.”
As a member of your house Appropriations Committee, Underwood worked to protected $6.5 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration in the FY22 federal government financing bundle, along with a $50 million boost in financing for CMS. The letter prompts CMS to utilize those funds and the company’s existing authority to address this worrying crisis, and utilize every offered path to assist individuals battling with dependency.
A copy of the letter can be discovered here
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