Mar 5, 2018
Last Week in Washington: White House Opioid Summit, CARA 2.0 Introduced
PPU: 03.05.18
There was a flurry of activity in Washington last week. The White House held its long anticipated Opioid Summit. Participants discussed actions already taken by the Administration. While statements were made that anyone who needs treatment should be able to access it, the tone of the event was focused on a tougher law enforcement approach. The President mentioned that perhaps drug dealers in the US should be executed.
NAATP continued to stress the need to implement the actions recommended by the President’s Commission on Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, specifically regarding enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (Parity). While nothing new was announced, more policy decisions are to be disclosed in the coming weeks.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee considered 8 bills related to the opioid crisis ranging from making telemedicine more available in rural areas to disposal of unused drugs in homes. While no action was taken, we anticipate more to come in the weeks ahead.
Eight Senators introduced the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 2.0. As you recall, the original CARA legislation was passed during the last Congress. The legislation would expand on the funding provided in the original bill. It would also require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop best practices for recovery residences. If enacted, it would be the first attempt to address some of the treatment quality issues at the federal level, similar to the work NAATP is promoting through its Quality Assurance Initiative. NAATP will will continue to work closely with Congress on these and other SUD issues.
Track and Review NAATP Public Policy Activity at: NAATP Public Policy Updates
Mark Dunn
NAATP Director of Public Policy
Washington, DC
