Excerpted from an article by Shawn Ryan on Morning Consult.
Our recovery patients’ lives — and the future of our nation’s economic recovery — depend on it. It’s time to invest in a recovery of a different kind.
- While we are keeping some patients connected to their treatment providers via telehealth, to make this a reality for as many patients as possible, insurers . . . need to reimburse clinicians for telehealth and telephonic services the same way they would if those patients were physically in the exam rooms
- Insurers and Medicaid programs need to cover all addiction treatment medications without prior authorization
- Addiction treatment centers need immediate crisis funding the same way that hospitals do right now, to purchase needed supplies including personal protective equipment, hire staff, implement telehealth technologies and adjust their operations to meet the dual demands of physical distancing and an onslaught of patients in crisis