Bill > HR4938

This bill, the Respond to the Needs in the Opioid War Act or the Respond NOW Act, aims to address the opioid epidemic. Key provisions of the bill include: 1. Establishing the Opioid Epidemic Response Fund, which will provide $5 billion per year from 2018 to 2022 to various agencies like the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health to carry out programs and activities to address the opioid crisis. 2. Increasing funding for Regional Partnership Grants and the State and Tribal Response to the Opioid Abuse Crisis account to provide additional investments in existing programs responding to the opioid epidemic. 3. Expanding access to medication-assisted treatment by allowing more flexibility for nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other practitioners to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder treatment. 4. Providing coverage for methadone under Medicare Part B when furnished or dispensed for maintenance or detoxification treatment by a practitioner with the appropriate registration or waiver. Overall, this bill aims to provide substantial funding and programmatic support to various federal agencies and healthcare providers to combat the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States.

Business and Industry, Education, Health and Social Services

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4938/all-info