The Senate Finance Committee yesterday introduced 22 bipartisan bills to address the opioid crisis in Medicare, Medicaid and human services programs. The Medicaid-related bills include provisions related to inpatient treatment services furnished in institutions for mental disease and medical assistance to infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome, among other issues. The Medicare bills include provisions to educate Medicare beneficiaries about opioid use and pain management and screen for potential substance use disorders; expand telehealth use for SUDs; require e-prescribing of controlled substances and electronic prior authorization under Part D; and impose certain requirements with respect to outlier opioid prescribers. Committee leaders expect to schedule a markup on the bills and possibly additional proposals in the coming weeks.

Related News Articles

Headline
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission March 15 released its March report to Congress, which includes its recent recommendations for hospital and other…
Blog
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) today released its annual March Report advising Congress on the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) payment…
Headline
The House Energy and Commerce Committee March 12 passed AHA-supported  legislation to reauthorize through 2029 the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider…
Headline
AHA March 12 shared with the House Ways and Means Committee how telehealth and hospital-at-home (H@H) programs have expanded access to care for patients in…
Headline
The Senate voted 75-22 on March 8 to pass and send to the president for his signature a package of six appropriations bills funding certain federal agencies…
Headline
The House March 5 voted 382-12 to pass the AHA-supported Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3838), bipartisan legislation that would…