Senate HELP Committee to Mark Up SUPPORT Act Reauthorization Bill Next Week
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee is slated to mark up the
Substance-Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment Act’s (SUPPORT Act) reauthorization bill along with other legislation – including the
Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act (MOTAA) – on Tuesday, Dec. 12.
The SUPPORT Act expired on Sept. 30, and Congress has long been expected to reauthorize the opioid treatment and prevention programs that the 2018 law created.
NABH sent a Government Relations Network alert asking members to contact Senate HELP Committee members and urge them to apply an all-hands-on-deck approach to America’s mental health and addiction crises by reauthorizing the SUPPORT Act’s expired provisions.
The association also asked NABH members to encourage HELP Committee members to oppose the MOTAA bill, which would threaten patient safety if methadone prescriptions were allowed outside opioid treatment programs. While the MOTAA bill was not incorporated into the underlying SUPPORT Act, lawmakers will consider it as stand-alone legislation and the committee may pass it. If this happens, NABH will work with partners to oppose the bill if it moves to the full Senate for a vote and also urge House lawmakers not to consider it.
Also next week, the House is expected to pass its version of the SUPPORT Act, which includes several NABH priorities. The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed this bill with bipartisan support and did not consider the MOTAA bill in this legislation.
Meanwhile, House and Senate conferees are negotiating a broader healthcare package for Congress to consider in early 2024. NABH will provide the latest information about these and other congressional actions next week and future editions of
CEO Update.
ONDCP to Host Webinar on Medicaid 1115 Re-Entry Demonstration Opportunity on Dec. 12
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) will host a webinar on Tuesday, Dec. 12 to highlight the state of Washington’s work on the Medicaid Re-Entry Demonstration Opportunity that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in April 2023.
The opportunity allows states to cover a package of pre-release services, including medications for opioid use disorder and connection to substance use disorder care, for up to 90 days before an incarcerated individual’s release date. To date, 16 states have applied for the waiver and two states have been approved.
Click
here to register for the 90-minute webinar, which will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
National Academies to Host Webinar About Social Media and Adolescent Health on Dec. 13
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will host a webinar next week highlighting the conclusions and recommendations from the Academies’ ad hoc committee that drafted a report about social media’s effect on adolescents’ mental and physical health.
Click
here to learn more and register for the hourlong webinar, which will start at noon ET on Wednesday, Dec. 13.
CMS Provides Guidance to States on Mandatory Medicaid and CHIP Core Set Reporting Requirements
CMS sent a
letter to state health officials that offered guidance about implementing the reporting requirements outlined in the Mandatory Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Core Set Reporting final
rule that the agency released in August.
The letter includes guidance about mandatory reporting regulations and adherence to reporting guidance; Core Set measures for which reporting is mandatory in 2024; the populations who must be included in reporting and the population exemption process; categories of stratified data that must be reported in or before 2025; measures subject to stratification in 2025; attribution rules; and the Child and Adult Core Set State Plan Amendment.
Reminder: Please Contribute Data to NABH’s Enhanced Denial-of-Care Portal
NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s
Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials.
With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:
- Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.
- The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.
We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs
Emily Wilkins.
Save the Date for the NABH 2024 Annual Meeting!
Please mark your calendars and plan to join us at the Salamander Washington, DC from
May 13-15, 2024 for next year’s NABH Annual Meeting!
Fact of the Week
The first government-sanctioned overdose prevention centers (OPCs) opened in New York City in November 2021, drawing concerns that they might increase crime and disorder. A new
study in
JAMA that examined two OPCs and 17 syringe service programs found no significant increases in crimes recorded by the police or calls for emergency service.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.
