Government Funding Bill Includes Senator Hassan’s Bipartisan Bill to Expand Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment for Addiction

WASHINGTON – A major bipartisan package to extend critical health care funding – including for community health centers – includes two bipartisan bills that U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) helped introduce to combat the fentanyl epidemic. The government funding bills include Senator Hassan’s bipartisan bill with Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to permanently expand coverage for medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder under Medicaid, as well as Senator Hassan’s bipartisan bill with Senator John Thune (R-SD) to expand access to short-term inpatient treatment at addiction treatment facilities under Medicaid.

“I am glad to have worked with my colleagues to extend funding for community health centers and expand access to lifesaving addiction treatment for people covered by Medicaid as part of the government funding package,” said Senator Hassan. “Community health centers provide vital health care services to people in New Hampshire and across the country, and this funding will ensure that they can continue supporting members of our communities. Additionally, my bipartisan bills to combat the fentanyl crisis will help more people access the addiction treatment and recovery services they need. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan funding package and continue working to expand access to health care.”

The bipartisan government funding package includes a 10 percent increase in funding for community health centers through December 31. Ten community health centers across New Hampshire receive program funds to provide high-quality primary and preventive care services on a sliding fee scale. New Hampshire’s health centers also offer integrated services for addiction care and treatment under the same roof as physical health services.

The government funding package also includes Senator Hassan’s bipartisan measures to increase access to addiction treatment. Studies show that medication prescribed for opioid use disorder can block cravings for opioids, which helps people enter treatment and stay in recovery. The use of medication to treat addiction is highly effective and is often combined with counseling and other support services. Current law requires Medicaid programs to cover medication-assisted treatment, but that coverage is set to lapse in the next year, leaving patients and providers uncertain as to whether addiction care will continue to be covered in every state. Senator Hassan successfully pushed to include in the government funding package her legislation to permanently expand this Medicaid coverage and allow addiction care providers to create long-term plans to expand services and deliver this care to more people.

Additionally, Senator Hassan’s bipartisan legislation with Senator Thune included in the package would establish a permanent option in Medicaid that allows states to cover 30 days of short-term inpatient care for people with substance use disorder. Without this exception, Medicaid law does not allow states to modify their Medicaid programs to cover short-term care at inpatient facilities that focus on addiction treatment and other behavioral health care. This provision will allow states to pursue long-term solutions to get patients the care they need in the appropriate care setting.

Senator Hassan has worked on bipartisan efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and continues to work to reauthorize the SUPPORT Act. Since 2017, Senator Hassan has successfully worked to secure a nine-fold increase in funding to New Hampshire to address the substance use disorder epidemic. In 2022, Senator Hassan successfully passed into law her bipartisan Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, to increase the number of medical professionals authorized to prescribe the gold standard of opioid treatment. Additionally, in December, Senator Hassan and colleagues’ bipartisan Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act, which would improve access to methadone, a medication-assisted treatment for addiction care, advanced from the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

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