Advocacy Group: Push for Peer Recovery Support Services in Essential Health Benefits
Recovery groups should advocate for inclusion of peer
recovery support services as part of essential health benefits that will
be covered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to Faces
& Voices of Recovery. Peer recovery support services are delivered
by individuals who have “lived experience” with addiction and recovery.
Faces & Voices of Recovery, an advocacy group, has produced an issue brief
that explains how recovery advocates can support inclusion of these
non-clinical services that help people achieve long-term recovery from
addiction.
The ACA requires states to set up state health insurance exchanges,
which will act like marketplaces, where each person can choose a plan
that suits them. Through these exchanges, states must offer a core of
what are called essential health benefits–services that will be
reimbursed or covered by the new exchanges. Services for mental and
substance use disorders must be included. Each state can decide what
specific services will be offered.
If peer recovery support services are offered as an essential health
benefit, they will be covered by insurance or Medicaid, and
organizations that provide the services will be reimbursed for providing
the services.
According to Faces & Voices of Recovery, scientific evidence is
growing to support the beneficial effects of peer recovery support
services. To find out more about how you and your organization can
advocate for inclusion of peer recovery support services, visit the Faces & Voices of Recovery website.
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