Title: Assessing Barriers to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Assessing Barriers to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Act
This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report on barriers to the provision of medication used to treat substance use disorders (e.g., buprenorphine) under Medicaid distribution models (e.g., provider purchasing, storage, and administration of medications).

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2909 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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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.

    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 ``Assessing Barriers to Opioid Use 
Disorder Treatment Act''.

SEC. 2. GAO STUDY AND REPORT ON STATE OPTIONS RELATED TO THE 
              DISTRIBUTION OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT 
              MEDICATIONS UNDER THE MEDICAID PROGRAM.

    (a) Study.--
            (1) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United 
        States (in this section referred to as the ``Comptroller 
        General'') shall conduct a study regarding the barriers to 
        providing medication used in the treatment of substance use 
        disorders under Medicaid distribution models such as the ``buy-
        and-bill'' model, and options for State Medicaid programs to 
        remove or reduce such barriers. The study shall include 
        analyses of each of the following models of distribution of 
        substance use disorder treatment medications, particularly 
        buprenorphine, naltrexone, and buprenorphine-naloxone 
        combinations:
                    (A) The purchasing, storage, and administration of 
                substance use disorder treatment medications by 
                providers.
                    (B) The dispensing of substance use disorder 
                treatment medications by pharmacists.
                    (C) The ordering, prescribing, and obtaining 
                substance use disorder treatment medications on demand 
                from specialty pharmacies by providers.
            (2) Requirements.--For each model of distribution specified 
        in paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall evaluate how 
        each model presents barriers or could be used by selected State 
        Medicaid programs to reduce the barriers related to the 
        provision of substance use disorder treatment by examining what 
        is known about the effects of the model of distribution on--
                    (A) Medicaid beneficiaries' access to substance use 
                disorder treatment medications;
                    (B) the differential cost to the program between 
                each distribution model for medication assisted 
                treatment; and
                    (C) provider willingness to provide or prescribe 
                substance use disorder treatment medications.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 15 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress 
a report containing the results of the study conducted under subsection 
(a), together with recommendations for such legislation and 
administrative action as the Comptroller General determines 
appropriate.
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