The Senate passed its opioid bill Sept. 17 with bipartisan support. The Opioid Crisis Response Act aims to prevent illicit fentanyl trafficking, make individuals and institutions accountable for drug diversion and improve patient access to treatments, according to STAT.
The bill, mainly authored by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., includes numerous proposals, which are viewed as limited but necessary steps toward creating a national system to better prevent and treat addiction.
Here are six things to know about the bill:
1. The bill would give the Drug Enforcement Administration more power to regulate manufacturing quotas for controlled substances. This includes prescription opioids when diversion is suspected. Chronic pain patients previously expressed concern over the reduced quotas, arguing they can push people to seek illicit opioids.
2. Under the legislation, HHS could give physicians permission to remotely prescribe medication-assisted treatments, such buprenorphine and methadone, to boost treatment access for patients in rural areas.
3. The bill also contains the STOP Act, created by Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, which seeks to limit illegal importation of illicit fentanyl through the international mail system. The act would improve digital tracking on 70 percent of international packages shipped to the U.S. by 2018, with the goal of hitting 100 percent of packages by 2020.
4. The Senate opioid bill does not include language about increasing methadone treatment. The House's opioid bill features specific language to close a coverage gap for methadone-based addiction treatment in Medicaid plans, starting 2020.
5. Previous drafts of the bill included hard limits on first-time opioid prescriptions for acute pain, a measure many states have already enacted. However, the limits were not included in the approved version of the bill, as certain groups such as the American Medical Association have opposed federal measures to control prescribing practices.
6. Similar to the House opioid bill, the Senate bill does not improve enforcement parity laws, which mandate employers and insurers comprehensively cover treatment for behavioral health conditions, such as addiction.