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CSOO writes letters to policymakers in response to legislation and regulations on issues relating to opioid overdose. Below, you can find an archive of letters CSOO has recently sent:

CSOO Applauds Introduction of the Support, Treatment, and Overdose Prevention of (S.T.O.P) Fentanyl Act of 2021 (H.R. 2366 / S. 1457)

This legislation would expand fentanyl research and education, enhance overdose prevention and access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, and provide critical public health data and additional training support for various stakeholders.

CSOO Supports the Excellence in Recovery Housing Act

This critical piece of legislation would greatly improve our nation’s understanding of the quality, effectiveness, and availability of recovery housing; better coordinate the federal government’s efforts in this regard, and help create guidelines for states to promote the availability of high-quality recovery housing.

CSOO Urges Congress to Include Funding for Programs to Strengthen the Addiction Service Workforce in Fiscal Year 2022

Members of CSOO sent a letter to leaders of the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies outlining CSOO’s appropriations recommendations for FY22. These recommendations include maintaining or increasing funding for a broad range of prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support programs vital to combatting the nation’s addiction crisis.

CSOO Supports the Telehealth Response for E-prescribing Addiction Therapy Services (TREATS) Act

Members of CSOO sent a letter to congressional leadership urging passage of the Telehealth Response for E-prescribing Addiction Therapy Services (TREATS) Act (S. 4103/H.R. 7593). For purposes of prescribing Schedule III and IV medications, including buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder, the TREATS Act would make permanent a new, audio-video, telehealth evaluation exception to the Ryan Haight Act’s in-person exam requirement. The TREATS Act would also clarify Medicare’s continued ability, beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency, to reimburse for audio-only, substance use disorder telehealth services after an in-person or telehealth evaluation.

CSOO Urges Congress to Include Key Initiatives to Support the Mental Health and SUD Treatment Infrastructure in Next COVID-19 Package

Members of CSOO wrote to congressional leadership urging them to include key programs and initiatives to support mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers in the next legislative package passed to address the COVID-19 pandemic. These key programs and initiatives include the Medicaid Reentry Act (H.R. 1329), at least $38.5 billion in emergency funding to organizations that primarily treat individuals with mental health and/or SUD, and SAMHSA emergency relief funding in the form of direct grants to community-based organizations for critical mental health and addiction support services.

FY 2021 Appropriations Recommendations Related to Strengthening the Addiction Treatment Workforce

Members of CSOO wrote to key legislators urging them to support the Loan Repayment Program for Substance Use Disorder Treatment Workforce and the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Workforce Training Program, among other initiatives that are vital to strengthening the addiction treatment workforce.

Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency (CARE) Act of 2019

Members of CSOO and other organizations wrote to Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as Representative Greg Walden (R-OR), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, asking them to consider the CARE Act of 2019, which would provide $100 billion in federal funding over the next ten years to states, local governments, and other organizations and institutions to support federal research and programs to prevent drug use while expanding access to evidence-based prevention, harm reduction, addiction treatment, mental health services, and recovery support services.

Reducing Barriers to Substance Use Treatment Act, H.R. 3925

The Reducing Barriers to Substance Use Treatment Act, H.R. 3925, would
prohibit state Medicaid programs, beginning in October 1, 2020, and ending September 30, 2025, from imposing prior authorizations or other types of utilization control policies or procedures on medications approved to treat OUD, including, with respect to the provision of those medications, counseling services and behavioral therapy.

CREATE Opportunities Act

The CREATE Opportunities Act would provide $50 million each year from FY2020 through FY2023 for the Attorney General to make grants and enter into cooperative agreements with states and local governments to develop, implement, or expand programs to provide MAT to individuals who have OUD and are incarcerated. The bill also sets forth robust requirements for the covered programs, such as requiring that they offer two or more drugs that have been approved for the treatment of an opioid use
disorder and do not contain the same active moiety. The bill additionally requires that the covered programs maintain access to personnel that are sufficiently trained to provide services such as education, medication prescription and administration, screening, counseling, recovery support, and withdrawal management.

Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency (CARE) Act of 2019

Modeled directly on the Ryan White Act, the CARE Act of 2019 would provide $100 billion in federal funding over the next ten years to states, local governments, and other organizations and institutions to support federal research and programs to prevent drug use while expanding access to prevention, harm reduction, addiction treatment, mental health services, and recovery support services.

The Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2019

The Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act would require issuers to disclose the analysis they perform in making parity determinations; require federal regulators to conduct random audits; and require the federal parity agencies to review denial rates for mental health versus medical claims. Additionally, it would create a central online portal so that people can access all information as a one-stop shop, and submit complaints and violations.

FY 2020 Appropriations Recommendations Related to Strengthening the Addiction Service Workforce

CSOO urged lead appropriators to support funding of important addiction prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support programs aimed at strengthening the addiction service workforce in Fiscal Year 2020.

The Medicaid Reentry Act, H.R. 4005

The Medicaid Reentry Act would grant states limited new flexibility to restart benefits for Medicaid-eligible incarcerated individuals 30 days prior to release. With this flexibility, states would be able to facilitate access to medication treatment for inmates prior to release and better coordinate care with community providers, allowing for uninterrupted, evidence-based treatment for these individuals during a transition when they are at heightened risk of overdose and death.

Reinforcing Evidence-Based Standards Under Law in Treating Substance Abuse (RESULTS) Act of 2018, H.R. 5272

The RESULTS Act would ensure that federal grants intended to treat mental health and substance use disorders fund initiatives that are rooted in scientific evidence. The legislation would also establish a waiver mechanism for new or innovative treatments that may offer promise but have not established a full evidence base.

Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Act of 2018

The Substance Use Disorder Loan Repayment Act would create a more robust treatment workforce by helping clinicians who pursue full-time substance use disorder treatment jobs in high-need geographic areas repay their student loans.

Advancing Cutting-Edge (ACE) Research Act

The Advancing Cutting-Edge (ACE) Research Act would provide the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with additional tools and flexibility to support innovative medical research to combat the opioid crisis.

Addiction Treatment Access Improvement Act, H.R. 3692

The Addiction Treatment Access Improvement Act would codify the Final Rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in July 2016 that raised the DATA 2000 patient limit for certain physicians to 275 patients, eliminating the sunset date for nurse practitioners’ (NPs) and physician assistants’ (PAs) prescribing authority for buprenorphine, and expanding the definition of ‘qualifying practitioner’ to include nurse anesthetists, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse midwives.