Tuesday’s announcement came on International Overdose Awareness Day. The state lost a record 502 people to drug overdoses last year, and the numbers so far this year suggest that will be eclipsed.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills marked International Overdose Awareness Day on Tuesday by announcing that her administration will increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for residential substance use disorder treatment.
Beginning Nov. 1, the reimbursement rate for detoxification providers will increase by 77 percent, from $217 per person per day to $385, and the rate for halfway house services will jump 56 percent, from $106 per person per day to $165.
Additionally, the rate for other residential rehab services will increase between 28 and 39 percent, depending on the classification.
The rate increases will cost a total of $2.1 million, which was included in the governor’s biennial budget signed into law in July.