Medicaid to cover treatment for babies born addicted in West Virginia - Entrepreneur Generations

A nursery at Lily's Place. (Huntington Quarterly
photo by Katherine Pyles)

Medicaid will now cover treatment in West Virginia for babies born dependent on drugs. West Virginia, which has the nation's highest rate of infants born addicted and the highest rate of drug overdose deaths, is the first state to be granted such coverage.

That was welcome news at Lily's Place, a recovery center for infants in Huntington. The 12-bed facility, opened in 2014, is the first of its kind in the U.S. and provides care for about 100 babies each year. The lack of coverage "has been a source of uncertainty for Lily's Place, so we welcome this announcement," Executive Director Rebecca Crowder said in a statement. "This designation will allow us to continue to offer compassionate care to newborns in need."

"Crowder said the hope is to enable more infant drug rehab centers to open nationwide. A bill introduced in Congress last year is aimed at helping such facilities overcome regulatory hurdles and receive Medicaid-service reimbursement," John Raby reports for The Associated Press.

from The Rural Blog http://ift.tt/2GmiHrn Medicaid to cover treatment for babies born addicted in West Virginia - Entrepreneur Generations

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