Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), who chairs the US Senate Special Committee on Aging, has introduced the Residential Recovery for Seniors Act, aimed at expanding access to care in residential treatment facilities for seniors recovering from substance abuse disorders. The rise in addiction among older Americans, as confirmed by data from the CDC, has prompted this legislative action to ensure seniors can afford necessary treatments.
Traditional Medicare currently does not cover non-hospital-based care, and Medicare Parts A, B, and D only cover certain aspects of substance use disorder services. Notably, Medicare covers three out of the four addiction treatment levels defined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The new bill seeks to fill this gap by introducing a new benefit under Medicare Part A, thus expanding coverage to include residential substance abuse disorder treatment options for older adults and people with disabilities.
This proposal would significantly enhance the ability of millions of seniors covered by Medicare to access comprehensive treatment for substance use disorders. The legislative effort is also supported in the House, where Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) introduced a companion bill on Tuesday.
Senator Casey’s office highlighted the increasing drug overdose mortality rate among individuals aged 65 and older, which has more than tripled from 2000 to 2020. In 2022, an estimated 1.7 million Medicare beneficiaries were confirmed to have a substance abuse disorder. Addressing the gap in available treatments for older generations, Senator Casey emphasized that older adults are often overlooked and lack access to the full spectrum of recovery care despite their higher risk for developing substance use disorders.
This legislative move follows a public hearing held by the Senate Special Aging Committee in December to examine substance abuse issues among older adults.
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