The Opioid Epidemic Affects People With Mental Illness
This week, the House will consider multiple pieces of legislation to address the opioid epidemic, and many of these bills will
improve mental health and substance use care.
Representatives will consider legislation that
will:
·
Make it easier for people
who have Medicare to access telemedicine for mental health and substance use
care (Access to Telehealth Services for
Opioid Use Disorders Act - H.R. 5603);
·
Require the Children’s
Health Insurance Program (CHIP) cover mental health and substance use
conditions (CHIP Mental Health Parity Act
- H.R. 3192); and
·
Allow people using
Medicare Part D to get prior authorization electronically from their health
care providers for needed medications (PASS
Act of 2018 - H.R. 5773).
The House will also vote on a bill that will
treat health information fairly across all conditions, improving outcomes for
people with mental illness and substance use disorders. An outdated federal
regulation known as 42 CFR Part 2 keeps health care providers from accessing
information about a person’s substance use condition history, which may lead to
inappropriately prescribing opioid medications or inadvertently triggering
substance use relapse—and in some cases, leading to harmful health consequences
and even drug overdose deaths.
H.R. 6082 (formerly H.R. 5795), the Protect the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records
Act, will align 42 CFR Part 2 with the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations. This will allow for better integration and
coordination of treatment—and better outcomes for people with mental health and
substance use conditions.
Act now. Ask your Representative
to support these bills to address the opioid crisis and provide improved
care for all people with mental health and substance use conditions.