After a marathon mark-up session that stretched into late evening Wednesday, a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee advanced dozens of bills related to the opioid crisis, which now go to the full committee.
"Taken together, the bills before us today will improve access to care for individuals suffering from substance use disorder, provide our healthcare system with the tools and resources it needs to care for patients, and help prevent future misuse of opioids," said Subcommittee Chair Michael Burgess (R-Texas) in a press statement.
Many of the bills looked to expand quality treatment for substance use disorders and to prevent inappropriate prescribing or access to opioids.
The Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee also advanced a raft of proposals as part of the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 earlier this week.
Among the bills advanced by the subcommittee:
- Requirement that Medicaid providers check prescription drug monitoring programs
- Mandate for states to operate drug management programs, a.k.a "lock-ins"(which limit the number of pharmacies from which at-risk beneficiaries can receive prescriptions)
- Partial repeal of the Institutions for Mental Diseases exclusion that bars Medicaid from reimbursing treatment for mental health or substance use disorder treatment in facilities with 16 or more beds
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Corey Waller, MD, an addiction specialist based in the Greater Philadelphia area, applauded the House for its "comprehensive" approach to addressing the opioid epidemic.