[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4618 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4618

 To improve access to opioid use disorder treatment services under the 
                           Medicare program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 26, 2022

Ms. Collins (for herself and Mr. Cardin) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To improve access to opioid use disorder treatment services under the 
                           Medicare 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 ``Supporting Seniors with Opioid Use 
Disorder Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. INCREASING AWARENESS AND DATA COLLECTION REGARDING MEDICARE 
              COVERAGE OF OPIOID USE DISORDER TREATMENT SERVICES.

    (a) Required Outreach.--The Secretary shall advance education and 
awareness among beneficiaries and health care providers regarding 
coverage of opioid use disorder treatment services furnished in person 
or via telehealth under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), including by revising 
outreach and enrollment materials as appropriate, making State and 
national contact information for health care providers publicly 
available in an easily accessible manner, tailoring outreach to at risk 
or underserved beneficiaries as appropriate, and developing or 
improving continuing education programs that advance the education of 
providers on the prescribing of, and relevant clinical considerations 
with respect to, opioid medications and substance use disorder 
treatment programs.
    (b) Report and Evaluation.--The Secretary shall conduct an 
evaluation of the outreach conducted under subsection (a) not later 
than 18 months after initiating such activities and shall submit to 
Congress a report that provides an analysis of the effectiveness of 
outreach activities targeting beneficiaries who were previously not 
receiving opioid use disorder treatment services, including the effect 
of such outreach on beneficiary access to care and utilization of 
services, in addition to the number of providers treating beneficiaries 
for opioid use disorder in office-based settings.
    (c) Improving Data Collection.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall provide data 
to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on--
            (1) the number of Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with 
        opioid use disorder;
            (2) the number of beneficiaries who receive medication-
        assisted treatment under the Medicare program;
            (3) the number of beneficiaries who receive medication-
        assisted treatment under the Medicare program who also receive 
        behavioral therapy; and
            (4) any geographic areas in which beneficiaries remain 
        underserved with respect to the provision of opioid use 
        disorder treatment services under the Medicare program.
    (d) Stakeholder Meeting.--Not later than 18 months after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall convene a meeting of 
stakeholders, including practicing behavioral health providers, to 
share best practices on the utilization of behavioral therapy among 
beneficiaries receiving medication to treat opioid use disorder under 
the Medicare program.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
            (2) Medication assisted treatment.--The term ``medication-
        assisted treatment'' means an evidence-based treatment that 
        consists of the administration of medications and related 
        behavioral therapies.
            (3) Opioid treatment program.--The term ``opioid treatment 
        program'' has the meaning given that term in paragraph (2) of 
        section 1861(jjj) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
        1395x(jjj)).
            (4) Opioid use disorder treatment services.--The term 
        ``opioid use disorder treatment services'' has the meaning 
        given that term in paragraph (1) of such section.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services.
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