State officials report a dramatic increase in access to treatment for opioid addiction across the state, but providers still face roadblocks when seeking licenses. That's the argument made by supporters of House Bill 124, which passed through committee Thursday.
Dr. Allen Brenzel with the Cabinet for Behavioral Health, Development, and Intellectual Disabilities says Kentucky's antiquated licensing and regulatory requirements no longer reflect the state of substance abuse treatment and it's time for an overhaul.
"Right now there is some really undue burden on providers who want to enter the treatment space," Brenzel told House lawmakers. "They're required to be dually licensed very often and sometimes even triply licensed to provide the full continuum."
In addition to streamlining licensing, HB124 would institute a new system to track provider outcomes and guide the state as it adjusts funding levels based on those results.
The bill would also exempt individuals classified as suffering from "acute substance abuse disorder" from the new work and community engagement requirements under Gov. Bevin's Medicaid waiver.
Under the proposal, Brenzel said "those with acute substance abuse disorder meet that criteria to be deemed as medically fragile, so during that period they would not be enrolled in Kentucky HEALTH. They would remain in the traditional Medicaid program and over time they would transition into Kentucky HEALTH."
The bill provides no set time limit for the exemption, Brenzel said, but would instead depend on each individual's case and their progress. If approved, he estimates thousands in Kentucky's expanded Medicaid population could fall into that category.
