Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.1685 | Sponsor: Rep. Foster, Bill (D-IL)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act of 2021
This bill requires the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to award grants to states to expand access to clinically appropriate services for opioid abuse or addiction. States must use these grants to provide up to 60 consecutive days of services to individuals who otherwise would not have access to substance abuse services.

To authorize the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance 
  Use, acting through the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse 
  Treatment, to award grants to States to expand access to clinically 
    appropriate services for opioid abuse, dependence, or addiction.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Expanding Opportunities for Recovery 
Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. OPIOID ADDICTION TREATMENT.

    (a) In General.--The Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and 
Substance Use, acting through the Director of the Center for Substance 
Abuse Treatment (in this section referred to as the ``Assistant 
Secretary'') shall award grants to States to expand access to 
clinically appropriate services for opioid abuse, dependence, or 
addiction.
    (b) Requirements.--As conditions on the receipt of a grant under 
this section, a State shall agree to comply with the following:
            (1) The grant will be administered through the head of the 
        State's primary agency responsible for programs and activities 
        relating to the treatment of substance abuse.
            (2) The services through the grant will be evidence-based 
        such as medication-assisted treatment for substance use 
        disorder.
            (3) The services through the grant will be provided 
        according to a physician or a clinician's recommendation to 
        ensure that individuals receive the optimal level of substance 
        use disorder treatment for the amount of time that is deemed 
        medically necessary.
            (4) The services through the grant will be provided 
        exclusively to individuals--
                    (A) who lack health insurance; or
                    (B) whose health insurance--
                            (i) does not cover such services; or
                            (ii) places other barriers on the receipt 
                        of such services, such as--
                                    (I) limiting coverage of such 
                                services to a certain period of time; 
                                or
                                    (II) imposing nonquantitative 
                                treatment limitations that are more 
                                stringent than treatment limitations 
                                imposed on other medical conditions 
                                (such as a requirement to use less 
                                expensive services, like outpatient 
                                treatment, prior to more expensive, but 
                                physician-recommended services, such as 
                                inpatient or residential treatment).
            (5) The grant will not be used to pay or subsidize the cost 
        of more than 60 consecutive days of opioid abuse, dependence, 
        or addiction treatment in the case of any individual.
    (c) Permissible Provision of Medications.--In expanding access to 
clinically appropriate services for opioid abuse, dependence, or 
addiction through a grant under this section, a State may provide for 
the use of medications, in conjunction with other treatment, so long as 
the medications--
            (1) are lawfully marketed under the Federal Food, Drug, and 
        Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.);
            (2) are clinically indicated to address the abuse, 
        dependence, or addiction; and
            (3) are offered consistent with consumer choice.
    (d) Coordination.--The Assistant Secretary shall coordinate the 
program under this section with the program for prevention and 
treatment of substance abuse under subpart II of part B of title XIX of 
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300x-21 et seq.).
    (e) Evaluation; Dissemination of Information; Technical 
Assistance.--
            (1) In general.--The Assistant Secretary shall--
                    (A) require States receiving a grant under this 
                section to report appropriate outcome measures 
                associated with use of the grant, including any--
                            (i) decreases in substance use;
                            (ii) changes in retention in care;
                            (iii) connections to the next appropriate 
                        level of care;
                            (iv) decreases in involvement with criminal 
                        justice activities; and
                            (v) other outcome data as appropriate;
                    (B) require States receiving a grant under this 
                section to report data on individuals' length of time 
                under clinically appropriate addiction treatment, and 
                the use of medication-assisted treatment;
                    (C) evaluate the activities supported by grants 
                under this section;
                    (D) submit to the Congress and the Secretary, and 
                make publicly available on the internet site of the 
                Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
                Administration, information about the results of such 
                evaluation; and
                    (E) offer technical assistance to States receiving 
                a grant under this section regarding activities funded 
                through the grant.
            (2) Use of certain funds.--Of the funds appropriated to 
        carry out this section for any fiscal year, 5 percent shall be 
        available to carry out activities under this subsection.
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