House approves massive bill to fight opioid addiction

The House overwhelmingly passed legislation Friday that would give several federal agencies more tools to fight opioid addiction and death in the U.S., and open the door to more treatment and prevention for the public. The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act passed in an easy 396-14 vote following months of hearings and debate. The legislation helps to direct some of the $4 billion in funding for the crisis that Congress approved as part of a long-term spending deal this year. The sweeping bill contains provisions to improve access to addiction treatment, block illegal drugs such as fentanyl from entering the U.S., clear the way for more research on nonaddictive medications to treat pain and reduce the number painkiller prescriptions. It also places new regulations on the ways Medicare and Medicaid are involved in both treatment of pain and addiction. For example, the bill instructs federal offices to evaluate the use of telehealth in addiction treatment under Medicare, and requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to issue guidance on how to treat infants who were exposed to opioids while in the womb and developed a dependency on the drug.