Trump signs bipartisan opioid legislation into law

Practice Management

President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill to tackle the opioid crisis Oct. 24, The Washington Post reports.

The bill passed 393 to eight in the House of Representatives and 98 to one in the Senate. The new law contains a measure sponsored by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) that will close a loophole that makes it easier for traffickers to send fentanyl through the mail, mainly from China.

The law focuses largely on opioid addiction treatment, creating a grant program for recovery centers that include housing and job training as well as increasing access to medication-assisted treatment. It also allows for broader Medicaid and Medicare coverage for substance abuse treatment.   

President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency under federal law Oct. 26, 2017. In 2018, Congress appropriated $8.5 billion for opioid-related programs, but there is no guarantee of additional funding in later years. In September, HHS reported it awarded more than $1 billion in grants to combat the opioid epidemic, focusing primarily on treatment and prevention.

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