New Bills Target Telehealth Coverage for Substance Abuse, Mental Health Services

Lawmakers are once again taking aim at the substance abuse epidemic with a wide-ranging bill that expands access to telehealth – including audio-only phone services – for medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs.

The policy changes are part of the Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (CARA) 3.0 bill, introduced last week by US Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Shelley Moore Caputo (R-WV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). The bill, which was submitted Last December but failed to make it through the Legislature, aims to boost funding authorization levels established in the original CARA legislation in 2016 and adds connected health measures to tackle the growing opioid abuse crisis.

“The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act 3.0 will give Americans access to vital treatment and recovery services,” Klobuchar said in a press release. “It will also ensure that commonsense prevention measures are implemented across the country, such as requiring the use of state prescription drug monitoring programs. We must continue to address this public health emergency and provide assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering.”

Specifically, the bill allows healthcare providers to prescribe medications for MAT programs and other substance abuse treatment services by audio-only telehealth following an initial audio-visual telehealth or in-person exam, with Medicare covering that phone call.

It also removes limits on the number of patients a provider can treat with buprenorphine and methadone, enabling the provider to expand treatment through connected health platforms; authorizes research into non-opioid pain management alternatives and long-term treatment outcomes to sustain recovery from addition, both of which could include mHealth and telehealth services; and establishes a pilot program to study the use of mobile methadone clinics in rural and underserved areas.

Finally, it allocates $785 million to broad range of treatment programs and resources.

The bill is one of many telehealth-flavored pieces of legislation that failed to make the cut last year and which is being resubmitted in hopes of catching the attention of a new Congress that is under pressure to establish meaningful and long-last telehealth policy.

Several bills, both new and returning, address the ongoing substance abuse and mental health crisis, a by-product of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Among them is the Tele-Mental Health Improvement Act (HR 2264), which was submitted last week by US Reps. David Trone (D-MD) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). That bill would establish payment parity for private health plans in covering mental health and substance abuse programs through telehealth.

“During COVID, we’ve seen how effective and safe tele-mental health appointments are for folks who need access to mental health care from their own home,” Trone said in a press release. “This bill works to continue expanding access to tele-mental health and eliminate barriers to mental healthcare to ensure that every American can access high-quality care no matter where they live.”