Tribal leaders urge state to support Medicaid waiver for addiction treatment

Tribal leaders are calling on North Dakota lawmakers to support a Medicaid waiver that would allow larger treatment centers to receive reimbursement for substance use care, according to the North Dakota Monitor. The request came during a State and Tribal Relations Committee meeting where Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Chair Mark Fox and Good Road Recovery Center Director Jasten Schock described the state’s lack of an Institution for Mental Diseases waiver as a major obstacle.

Fox said the regulation limits treatment to 16 patients at a time and forces the tribe to send members to other states for care. State Sen. Tim Mathern said he plans to draft a bill to create a state version of the waiver. The proposal will be discussed at the committee’s next meeting.