CMS granted Minnesota and Nebraska approval to implement Medicaid demonstration projects aimed at improving access to treatment for substance use disorders, the agency said June 28.
The demonstrations, both of which take effect July 1 and last five years, will allow the states to receive Medicaid matching funds for substance misuse treatment. The states are the 23rd and 24th in the nation to win the approval.
For Minnesota, individuals who are eligible for Medicaid will receive enhanced mental health services from the state's Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. For Nebraska, residents will see enhancements of existing substance abuse-related services that will be able to take place in residential facilities.
"The Trump administration is committed to offering a more flexible, streamlined approach to accelerate states' ability to expand addiction treatment services during this national crisis," CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a press release. "Whereas only a handful of states were approved for these demonstrations before 2017, our approach has allowed us to approve nearly 20 more demonstrations in just 18 months."