CONGRESSMEN BENTZ AND GOLDMAN INTRODUCE THE IMD CARE ACT FOR PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESSES

Washington, Oct. 1 -- Congressman Cliff Bentz issued the following press release:

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Congressman Cliff Bentz (R-OR) and Congressman Dan Goldman (D-NY) introduced the IMD CARE Act, legislation which would expand Medicaid eligibility to include psychiatric care facility beds in excess of the current 16 bed limit for patients suffering from severe mental illness. When the Social Security Act was enacted in 1965, it limited Medicaid funding to psychiatric facilities that had no more than 16 beds, resulting in a shortage of beds when the need for inpatient mental health care has grown. The IMD CARE Act would amend the Social Security Act to establish a State Plan Amendment, allowing Institutions of Mental Diseases (IMDs) w...