II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2909 

To require the Comptroller General of the United States to study and report 

on State Medicaid agencies’ options related to the distribution of substance use disorder treatment medications under the Medicaid program. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 22, 2018 

Mr. HELLER (for himself and Mr. BENNET) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To require the Comptroller General of the United States 

to study and report on State Medicaid agencies’ options 

related to the distribution of substance use disorder 

treatment medications under the Medicaid program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Assessing Barriers to 

5 Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. GAO STUDY AND REPORT ON STATE OPTIONS RE2 LATED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF SUB3 STANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT MEDI4 CATIONS UNDER THE MEDICAID PROGRAM. 

5 (a) STUDY.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of 

7 the United States (in this section referred to as the 

8 ‘‘Comptroller General’’) shall conduct a study re9 garding the barriers to providing medication used in 

10 the treatment of substance use disorders under Med11 icaid distribution models such as the ‘‘buy-and-bill’’ 

12 model, and options for State Medicaid programs to 

13 remove or reduce such barriers. The study shall in14 clude analyses of each of the following models of dis15 tribution of substance use disorder treatment medi16 cations, particularly buprenorphine, naltrexone, and 

17 buprenorphine-naloxone combinations: 

18 (A) The purchasing, storage, and adminis19 tration of substance use disorder treatment 

20 medications by providers. 

21 (B) The dispensing of substance use dis22 order treatment medications by pharmacists. 

23 (C) The ordering, prescribing, and obtain24 ing substance use disorder treatment medica25 tions on demand from specialty pharmacies by 

26 providers. 


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1 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—For each model of dis2 tribution specified in paragraph (1), the Comptroller 

3 General shall evaluate how each model presents bar4 riers or could be used by selected State Medicaid 

5 programs to reduce the barriers related to the provi6 sion of substance use disorder treatment by exam7 ining what is known about the effects of the model 

8 of distribution on— 

9 (A) Medicaid beneficiaries’ access to sub10 stance use disorder treatment medications; 

11 (B) the differential cost to the program be12 tween each distribution model for medication 

13 assisted treatment; and 

14 (C) provider willingness to provide or pre15 scribe substance use disorder treatment medica16 tions. 

17 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 15 months after the 

18 date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

19 shall submit to Congress a report containing the results 

20 of the study conducted under subsection (a), together with 

21 recommendations for such legislation and administrative 

22 action as the Comptroller General determines appropriate. 

Æ 


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