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Senator urges Medicaid coverage for ear acupuncture as treatment for substance use; state Medicaid cautions on cost
Summary
A Senate hearing on SB 123 heard advocates and recovery providers urge New Hampshire Medicaid to cover five‑point ear acupuncture for substance use disorder; state Medicaid staff said the service is not currently covered and estimated potential costs between $1 million and $5 million depending on uptake.
Sen. Victoria Sullivan, sponsor of Senate Bill 123, told the Senate Health and Human Services Committee that ear acupuncture — a five‑point protocol used in some chemical dependency programs — should be added to the state Medicaid plan as an option for people in recovery from opioid and other substance use disorders.
At a morning hearing, Sullivan said the practice has helped people in Manchester recover and rejoin the workforce, and she introduced several recovery coaches, licensed acupuncturists and peer counselors to describe clinical and programmatic experience with the treatment. “Ear acupuncture can help with cessation of cravings, but it also helps with so many other things that people in treatment are going through,” Sullivan said.
Why it matters: Witnesses said the technique is widely used in some programs as a low‑cost adjunct to…
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