By Sarah Ruth Bates, MBE, MMS Advocacy, Government, and Community Relations
How is Congress aiming to build providers’ treatment capacity for opioid use disorder within communities? Several approaches may make it into a comprehensive legislative package aimed at addressing the opioid epidemic that is expected to be introduced in Congress in the spring. The Medical Society is working with our Massachusetts delegation in the House and Senate, and with regulatory agencies, on measures to help prevent and treat addiction and save lives.
Vital Signs spoke with four members of Congress about their priorities for opioid-related legislation in the coming year.
Loan Forgiveness, e-Prescribing, Expert Consults, Medication-Assisted Treatment — Congresswoman Katherine Clark,
5th District
“I am pushing four bipartisan bills that address specific problems. One provides student loan forgiveness for people who work in substance use disorder treatment, one encourages doctors to electronically prescribe opioids, one creates a program for doctors to get real-time advice on responsible opioids prescribing, and one expands the availability of medication-assisted treatment for adolescents. Each of these proposals come from feedback that I’ve heard from my constituents, each has broad, bipartisan support, and I am hopeful all four will pass this year. The families battling the opioid epidemic across the country need our help and they need it now.”
Behavioral Health Parity and Reimbursement — Congressman Joseph Kennedy, 4th District
“By strengthening behavioral health parity enforcement and increasing reimbursement rates, we can ensure treatment is within reach for all Americans suffering from addiction. For families watching a loved one battle a substance use disorder, nothing is more disheartening and disorienting than care denied without reason. Congress must increase funding across the full continuum of care and enact meaningful reforms that will open the door to effective, compassionate treatment.”
Prevention and Treatment, Reducing Fentanyl Supply — Senator Edward Markey
“The first step is getting our communities the resources they need to enhance prevention, surveillance, treatment, and recovery efforts. That’s why I’ve introduced the Combating the Opioid Epidemic Act, which calls for a $45 billion investment in these activities. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to get new funding dedicated to this crisis.
“Over the last two years, Congress has taken some important steps. With the passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) in 2016, we are expanding access to treatment through language I authored to enable mid-level practitioners to prescribe buprenorphine for patients with substance use disorder. With the recently signed INTERDICT Act, which I introduced in the Senate, we will be providing our border agents with the tools necessary to identify and stop illicit fentanyl and other opioids from entering our country and landing in our communities. In October last year, the President declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency, but unfortunately nothing of consequence has been done.”
Community Resources, Reducing Rx Misuse, Government Accountability — Senator Elizabeth Warren
“I’ll continue to fight for more funds, work to reduce prescription opioid misuse, and hold the Trump administration accountable for the promises they have made to deal with this emergency. Last year, I was able to secure additional funding to help states and local communities address this crisis, but our communities need all the support they can get, particularly given the frightening rise of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
I hear from health care providers, law enforcement officials, and individuals and families dealing with addiction from across Massachusetts about the devastating toll the opioid epidemic continues to have on our communities.”
