On October 3, 2018, Congress passed H.R. 6, the Substance Use–Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act. This expansive bill includes a great number of provisions related to opioids, but also more broadly applies to substance use disorders and behavioral health. The President is expected to sign the bill into law today.
The bill will greatly expand access to addictions treatment; most likely, where states can apply for a Medicaid waiver from institutions for mental disease (IMD) exclusion and vastly expand access to residential addiction treatment for a period of “not more than 30 days during a 12 month period.” H.R. 6 makes it clear individuals may leave residential treatment to enter a recovery housing option.
Long-term affordable housing options will be needed for many of the people served by these expanded opportunities. Leaders in the addiction treatment field will become more motivated to ensure safe affordable housing options for the people they serve, either post addiction treatment and/or post recovery housing. COCs and other housing leaders will need to leverage strong pathways of collaboration with addiction treatment and behavioral health services, at the systems, programs, and person-centered levels.
Expansion of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) will result in large increases of people receiving treatment.
CSH was an early endorser of H.R. 6 because supportive housing providers will undoubtedly increase their interactions with treatment providers and their desire to be educated regarding MAT, and the best practices associated with it.
Read an earlier summary of H.R. 6 posted by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) by clicking here.
