Sponsored
North Dakota lawmakers are debating whether to bring a Medicaid rehab waiver to the state, a change tribal officials say is badly needed.
But people looking for free rehab in North Dakota do not have to wait on the outcome. Options already exist today.
Free Rehab in North Dakota Already Exists
The Tribal and State Relations Committee is working on a bill that would bring an “IMD waiver” to North Dakota, a change that would let larger treatment facilities receive certain Medicaid reimbursements they currently cannot access.
But people who need help paying for treatment right now have two paths worth knowing about.
Good Road Recovery Center in Bismarck, run by the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, treats tribal citizens and does not turn away anyone seeking services, whether or not they have insurance.
A significant number of the center’s clients are uninsured, according to chief operating officer Paige Bell.
North Dakota also runs a substance use disorder voucher program. The voucher uses state funds to help people with limited financial resources pay for treatment, giving uninsured and underinsured residents a real path to care without waiting on a legislative change.
How the State Substance Use Disorder Voucher Works
The voucher is aimed squarely at people who would otherwise be priced out of treatment. It draws on state dollars rather than private insurance or Medicaid, so it can help residents regardless of coverage status.
That said, the voucher is not a fit for every provider. Good Road Recovery, for example, has a special status as an Indian Health Service facility that lets it receive other reimbursements covering more of its costs than the voucher alone would, according to Bell.
Even so, those reimbursements still are not enough to meet demand for services across the state.
Why North Dakota Is Debating a New Medicaid Waiver
An Institution for Mental Diseases, or IMD, is a federal designation for facilities with more than 16 beds that focus on treating mental illness and substance use disorders.
Without a waiver, those larger facilities in North Dakota cannot bill Medicaid the way similar facilities can in 37 other states.
Tribal officials have pushed hardest for the change. MHA Chair Mark Fox has said the lack of a waiver forces tribes to send dozens of members out of state for treatment they cannot get at home.
Not everyone agrees a waiver is the right fix. Heartview Foundation chief executive Kurt Snyder worries it would make the state too reliant on inpatient facilities and has pointed to community based alternatives instead, including a workforce training program that licenses around 25 new addiction counselors a year.
Sen. Tim Mathern, who is drafting the waiver legislation, argues the state needs more funding for both inpatient and outpatient care, not one instead of the other.
Finding Affordable Treatment in North Dakota
Whether or not the waiver moves forward, people who need help paying for rehab in North Dakota have next steps available today.
Rehabs.org has a listing of low-cost and free treatment centers across the nation. Call
800-914-7089
(
Sponsored)
to learn more about affordable care options.
More Articles Like This
