Coalition urges Congress to remove opioid abuse treatment barriers
Thirty-eight Attorneys General sent a letter Congress urging them to remove federal barriers preventing opioid use disorder treatment.
A bipartisan coalition of 38 states sent a letter to Congress yesterday urging them to remove federal barriers that are currently preventing health care providers from offering treatment for opioid use disorder, which affects more than two million Americans, according to the CDC. More than 47,500 Americans died from opioid-related overdoses in 2018.
Among the coalition is New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has led the fight against the opioid crisis. In March 2019, Attorney General James filed the nation’s most extensive lawsuit against the manufacturers and distributors of opioids. Her office has also taken down drug trafficking networks, and has arrested and convicted doctors and other medical professionals who have abused their roles and profited from opioid addiction.
“Opioids are devastating communities across the country, and we have a duty to do all we can to protect Americans from this epidemic,” Attorney General James said in a statement. “New York has filed the nation’s most extensive lawsuit against the makers and distributors of opioids, we’ve taken drug dealers off the streets, and now we are ensuring that impacted individuals can access the treatment they need. This crisis demands action from every angle and that is exactly what we are doing.”
The coalition’s letter called for Congress to address three key areas in legislation:
- Replace outdated medical privacy rules with the effective and more familiar privacy rules contained in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
- Pass HR 2482, the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act, which would eliminate the burdensome requirements that prohibit doctors from prescribing buprenorphine for opioid abuse disorder. Buprenorphine is one of three drugs used as part of Medication Assisted Treatment, the most effective treatment for opioid use disorder.
- Repeal the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion that prevents Medicaid from covering some forms of substance use disorder treatment.
Joining New York Attorney General Letitia James in signing the letter are the Attorneys General of Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
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