Wisconsin’s Medicaid program officially began reimbursing peer recovery support and recovery coaches effective April 1. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services released a public notice on March 31 describing a new Medicaid State Plan Amendment that adds coverage for peer recovery support services within newly certified overdose treatment provider agencies and existing Medicaid-enrolled behavioral health agencies.
Peer recovery support is defined as “a non-clinical service provided to individuals seeking help establishing or maintaining their recovery from mental illness or substance use disorder. The service is provided by trained individuals with lived experience and in stable recovery.” Peer recovery coaches provide emotional, informational, social and practical support to individuals under the guidance of a mental health professional and in alignment with treatment plans. According to Jefferson County Behavioral Health Division Manager Holly Pagel, “any program licensed under DHS, from crisis, to outpatient clinic, to CSP, all of our behavioral health programs can now write peer support and recovery coaching into our service/treatment plan.”
The addition of Medicaid reimbursement for peer support services marks a significant expansion of recovery support options in Wisconsin. Pagel noted, “we’re really overdue on this in Wisconsin, but it’s finally here and we’ll hopefully be branching out a lot to offer this service.” The change enables behavioral health agencies throughout the state to integrate peer recovery coaches into their existing service offerings, expanding access to lived-experience-based support for individuals recovering from mental illness or substance use disorder.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.wdtimes.com/news/local/medicaid-officially-reimburses-peer-support-and-recovery-coaches/article_cbc0342a-1d93-4c1f-a555-f30e64a2a56e.html