On Dec. 12, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee marked up and advanced the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act (S. 3393), which would reauthorize key federal programs to address the opioid epidemic and support patients with substance use disorders. The committee’s bipartisan vote of 19-1 allowed the measure to proceed to the full Senate for consideration.
During the markup, Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) offered and subsequently withdrew an amendment codifying requirements for hospitals to publish detailed files of negotiated rates and cash prices for at least 300 shoppable services. In addition, Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) offered and withdrew an amendment proposing to modify a program first authorized under Section 7081 of the 2018 SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (P.L. 11-271), which supports hospitals’ ability to care for patients who have experienced an opioid overdose. The proposed amendment would have expanded the program to encompass patients who have experienced an array of traumatic events beyond just opioid overdose.
- Washington Highlights