(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Medicaid in Montana to offer eligible patients housing stability, re-entry behavioral health services – Daily Montanan [1] ['Nicole Girten', 'More From Author', '- February'] Date: 2024-02 Medicaid recipients in Montana are going to see expanded behavioral health services for those with diagnosed mental health disorders, including housing assistance, incentives for treatment goals and re-entry services for justice-involved populations 30-days prior to release. That’s according to a joint announcement from Governor Greg Gianforte’s office and the state health department Monday of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ approval of an expansion of Medicaid services for three programs under an existing state program. The expansion comes after thousands lost coverage from Medicaid redeterminations that have been underway for months after increased assistance offered during the Covid-19 pandemic ended last year. The housing assistance and treatment incentive programs are expected to become available this fall, and the pre-release services in late 2025. The housing program, called Tenancy Supports, will help Medicaid recipients with a diagnosed severe mental illness or a substance-use disorder who are experiencing housing instability or homelessness to find and keep stable housing. To be eligible for housing assistance, recipients must have at least one risk factor, such as being homeless or at risk of homelessness, a history of frequent or lengthy stays in an institutional setting, or frequent emergency department visits or hospitalizations. The Department of Public Health and Human Services said it established a provider workgroup to guide the implementation of tenancy support services and the group’s first meeting was held on Jan. 30. The treatment incentive program, referred to as Contingency Management, will allow Medicaid members 18 and older in treatment with a diagnosed stimulant use disorder to earn small motivational incentives for meeting treatment goals. “This model has demonstrated robust outcomes for individuals with stimulant disorder, including reduction or cessation of drug use and longer retention in treatment,” DPHHS Director Charlie Brereton said in a statement. The Justice-Involved Reentry Services program will provide targeted Medicaid services for “justice-involved populations” 30 days before their release from prison. This includes care management, limited community-based clinical consultation services in person or via telehealth, and medication. Eligible participants must be age 18 and older with a diagnosed substance use or mental health disorder. The services were allocated through a federal 1115 waiver, which gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services the ability to approve new projects they find to align with the objectives of the Medicaid program. The three programs will be part of the state’s Healing and Ending Addiction through Recovery and Treatment (HEART) program. The governor introduced the HEART program as one of his first initiatives, which aims to invest state and federal funds to expand treatment for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. Gianforte applauded the health department’s efforts in expanding the program. “After decades of applying Band-Aids to our broken system and kicking the can down the road, we’re making great strides in our overall effort to build up the state’s continuum of care for those struggling with behavioral health,” Gov. Gianforte said. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/briefs/medicaid-in-montana-to-offer-eligible-patients-housing-stability-re-entry-behavioral-health-services/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/