House Passes Opioid Package, Concluding Two-week Focus on Issue

Jun 22, 2018 - 02:41 PM
opioid-legislation

The House of Representatives today voted 396-14 to approve bipartisan legislation (H.R. 6) that will serve as a Senate vehicle for many of the House-passed bills to combat the opioid crisis and includes a number of AHA-supported provisions. 

“America’s hospitals and health systems applaud today’s House passage of several AHA-supported provisions contained in the bipartisan Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6),” said AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels. “We are pleased to see overwhelming support for provisions that would: expand the use of telehealth services for substance use disorder; guide improved care for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome; increase the types and capacity of providers offering medication-assisted treatment; cover screening for opioid use disorder as part of the Welcome to Medicare physical examination; allow former foster children to keep Medicaid coverage until age 26 when they move across state lines; and, require states to automatically restore Medicaid coverage to young people post-incarceration. We look forward to continuing to work with the Senate to enact these provisions and further refine other elements of opioid legislation moving through Congress.”    

Earlier this week, the House separately approved two key AHA-supported bills that would allow states to receive federal matching funds for up to 30 days per year for services provided to adult Medicaid beneficiaries for opioid and cocaine use disorder in an Institution for Mental Disease, and expand treatment coverage to individuals suffering from cocaine use disorder; and align 42 CFR Part 2 regulations with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act to allow health care providers to responsibly share substance use disorder treatment information. 

The White House has expressed support for all three bills. The Senate is expected to consider opioid legislation as early as mid-July. 
 

Related News Articles

Chairperson's File
Chair File: Leadership Dialogue — Reflecting on 2025, Looking Ahead to 2026 with Marc Boom, M.D., of Houston Methodist
Public
One of the most rewarding parts of being an AHA member and serving on the board is building relationships with other leaders who share a passion for making…
Chairperson's File
Chair File: Leadership Dialogue — The Importance of the 340B Program with Aimee Kuhlman of the AHA and Paulette Davidson of Monument Health
Public
For more than 30 years, the 340B Drug Pricing Program has provided financial help to hospitals serving vulnerable communities to manage rising prescription…
Headline
Senate reaches deal to potentially end government shutdown this week
The Senate Nov. 9 took a critical first step toward ending the government shutdown as seven Democrats and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, joined Republicans to…
Headline
Shutdown likely to continue into fifth week
There is still no clear end in sight to the government shutdown as today marks day 30 and is approaching the 35-day record that occurred in 2018-2019. Some…
Chairperson's File
Chair File: Inside the Shutdown and Other Key 2025 Priorities
Public
This week brings the fourth week of the federal government shutdown as Congress has yet to pass legislation to fund the government. This shutdown is a bit…
Chairperson's File
Chair File: Leadership Dialogue — Legislative Outlook and Health Care Advocacy with AHA Executive Vice President Stacey Hughes
Public
There is a saying that is very timely for our field: A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. As we head into the final months of 2025, hospitals and health…