Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) applauded the announcement that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved Illinois’s Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waiver. This waiver provides Illinois with an avenue to test new approaches in Medicaid, and more tools to address mental illness and combat the opioid epidemic.  

In December 2017, the Illinois Delegation sent a bipartisan, bicameral joint letter to the CMS Administrator Seema Verma, urging her to approve Illinois’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver that had been sitting at CMS for over 14 months. The full letter and joint press release can be found here.

Following Governor Rauner’s announcement on the 1115 waiver this morning, Congressman Kinzinger released this statement:

“The 1115 Medicaid Waiver is especially important to the State of Illinois and I’m glad to see it was finally approved. Initially submitted in October 2016, this 1115 waiver will provide value-based and integrated care, while prioritizing health care services that better serve the patient and keep costs low. As we continue to address the opioid epidemic and improve mental health care, this waiver will be crucial in giving Illinois the tools necessary to respond to these crises.”

This approval by CMS is also an important development in the Congressman’s efforts to stop the opioid epidemic and create a system that is flexible, adaptable, and focused on preventing and treating addiction. His bipartisan bill, H.R. 5590, the Opioid Addiction Action Plan, would require CMS to examine existing barriers to treating pain without opioid prescriptions, and to innovative treatments for those who suffer from substance abuse disorder. Learn more about Congressman Kinzinger's bipartisan, bicameral legislation here.