North Dakota May Expand Medicaid For Mental Health

(Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota lawmakers are drafting a policy that would change the system in which some medical providers pay for their services when treating people’s mental health.

While leaders agree more mental health services are needed, especially for tribal citizens, not all agree on how best to achieve that goal.

At the behest of tribal officials who are struggling to keep up with the demand of people needing treatment, the Tribal and State Relations Committee is drafting a bill that would establish an “IMD waiver.”

An Institution for Mental Diseases, or IMD, is defined by federal regulation as a facility with more than 16 beds that focuses on providing services for people with mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders.