With President Trump having declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency, both the House and Senate are advancing legislation to address the crisis. A new issue brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation summarizes current federal legislative proposals related to Medicaid’s role in the opioid epidemic and identifies issues to watch as final legislation takes shape.
The House has passed several bills culminating in the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act. The Senate Finance Committee has approved the Helping to End Addiction and Lessen (HEAL) Substance Use Disorders Act, which is expected to be considered by the full Senate later this year. Appendix tables detail the House SUPPORT Act, the Senate HEAL Act, and other bills pending at the Senate and House committee level as of late June, 2018
Any final legislation could affect state Medicaid programs, SUD treatment providers, health plans, opioideneficiaries and other stakeholders.
To see more of KFF’s work related to the opioid epidemic visit our special resource page on this topic.