FASD Respect Act

COVID-19 relief P.L. 111-148 - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Health Information Technology Health workforce shortage issues, Title VII and Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act, nursing, graduate nursing education, nursing-managed health clinics Health wellness and prevention programs Research tobacco, e-cigarettes and flavorings University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Leadership in Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Related Disorders (LEND) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Rural Centers of Excellence Veterans Affairs Community Care H.R. 4292 - COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence Act H.R. 959 - Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act H.R. 4128, S. 2209 - VALID Act H.R. 4151, S. 2238 - FASD Respect Act S. 4348 - FDA Safety and Landmark Advancement Act H.R. 7667 - Food And Drug Amendments of 2022 H.R. 8747 - Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals (ARCH) Act (H.R.8747 S. 4009 - Assistance for Rural Hospital Support Act

Client expense: $80,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

12-Month Continuous Eligibility for Children in Medicaid/CHIP Easy Enrollment in Health Care Act of 2021 Provider Relief Fund Reporting Requirements Accelerating Kids Access to Care Act (H.R. 3089/S. 1544) Connect for Health Act of 2021 Medicaid Payment Parity Coronavirus Medicaid Response Act (S. 4108) H.R. 2347, Strengthening the Vaccines for Children Program Act HR 1025, the Kids Access to Primary Care Act S. 1833 The Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women and Children Act of 2021 Medicaid Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Protections Comprehensive Access to Robust Insurance Now Guaranteed (CARING) for Kids Act (H.R.66) H.R. 1791 Childrens Health Insurance Program Permanency (CHIPP) Act Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act (H.R. 1738) Permanent CHIP Funding Extension Permanent Extension of Express Lane Eligibility Option Pediatrics Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) in Medicaid Medicaid Reentry Act Accelerating Kids Access to Care Act Expanding Medicaid HCBS Services for Children Access to Care in Medicaid/CHIP Maternal Health H.R. 4996 Helping Moms Act H.R.4995 - Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2020 Postpartum Medicaid Extension and Maternal Health Improvements Closing the Medicaid Coverage Gap Adult Medicaid Vaccine Access Increased Funding for Childrens Hospitals Graduate Medical Education COVID-19 Response Medicaid/CHIP Eligibility Redeterminations post PHE Build Back Better Act Payment for COVID-19 Vaccine Counseling Coding Changes for COVID-19 Counseling Payment Standards in CBP Custody Standards in ICE Family Detention Standards in ORR Custody Licensure of ORR Shelters Emergency Intake Sites Public Charge Child Nutrition Reauthorization/WIC SNAP Mental Health for Children H.R. 6, DREAM Act Family Separation and Detention Medical Nutrition Equity Act Build Back Better Act Lift the Bar Act CARE for Families Act HR 3107 WIC Act Keep Families Together Act Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program Public Health Preparedness and Response Research for Pregnant and Lactating Women Funding for Pediatric Device Consortia Funding for Emergency Medical Services for Children Program Funding for HRSA Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program PUMP Act DEMAND Act Dietary Guidelines Child Poverty Coronavirus Response Legislation Asylum Child Poverty Reduction Act Suicide Prevention CBP Medical Services Contract Child Nutrition Waivers School Meal Standards Universal School Meals Equality Act Mental Health Services for Students Act Medicaid Bump Act Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Act Child Tax Credit Comprehensive Mental Health in Schools Pilot Program Supporting Childrens Mental Health Care Access Act Protect Infants from Formula Shortages Act Infant Formula Shortage White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health Mental Health Reform Reauthorization Act Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act FY23 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill: Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program, Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Research, Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program, Emergency Medical Services for Children, National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Global Immunization, Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Death in Childhood, Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, VACCINES Act, Antimicrobial Resistance, Maternal and Child Health, School Based Health Centers COVID-19 Supplemental Appropriations H.R.482 / S.350 - Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act FY23 National Defense Authorization Act and Halting Reductions to Military Medical Personnel Defense Health Agency - Autism Care Demonstration H.R.6783 - Autism Family Caregiver Act H.R.5551 - Improving the Health of Children Act H.R.5561 / S.4052 - Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2021 H.R.2347 / S.2691 - Strengthening the Vaccines for Children Program Act of 2021 Childrens Literacy Initiative on Military Bases (CLIMB) Act of 2022 - H.R. 8208 Advancing FASD Research, Services and Prevention Act - S. 2238 / H.R. 4151 Home and Community Based Services - Reconciliation Bill Banning Electronic Stimulation Devices - FDA User Fee Bills (H.R. 7667/S. 4348) Womens Health Protection Act (H.R. 3755/S. 1975) Kids Online Safety Act (S. 3663) Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act (S. 1628) Kids PRIVCY Act (H.R. 4801) KIDS Act (H.R. 5439/S. 2918) American Data Privacy and Protection Act (H.R. 8152) Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program Implementation Regulation of Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars Premarket Tobacco Product Application Process for E-Cigarettes Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act (H.R. 6216/S. 3389) FY 2023 Funding for HHS Office of Adolescent Health FY 2023 Funding for Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program FY 2023 Funding for Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Appropriations - global child and youth-focused global health subaccounts at USAID (Vulnerable Children, Maternal and Child Health, Nutrition) and CDC Global Immunization Division Global Child Thrive Act Implementation Strengthening Efforts to End Violence Against Children Act Reach Every Mother and Child Act Gun violence prevention research funding Child passenger safety (H.R. 5736) Appropriations for the Indian Health Service Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program Infant sleep product safety (S. 1259, H.R. 3182) Lead exposure prevention Food safety Paid family and medical leave Regulation of high-powered magnet sets Climate change Vehicle emissions standards Button battery ingestions (H.R. 5313, S. 3278) Early childhood education Access to genetic sequencing Child product safety and injury prevention Furniture tip-over prevention Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act reauthorization, CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2021 CAPTA Plans of safe care grants Family First Prevention Services Act implementation Issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and providing supports for the child welfare community CAPTA Fatalities Prevention and Response Title IV-B Reauthorization Ensuring Medicaid continuity for Children in Foster Care Act (S. 2689/H.R. 5414) Congregate care reform Mental health supports for foster youth/former foster youth

COVID-19 relief P.L. 111-148 - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Health Information Technology Health workforce shortage issues, Title VII and Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act, nursing, graduate nursing education, nursing-managed health clinics Health wellness and prevention programs Research tobacco, e-cigarettes and flavorings University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Leadership in Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Related Disorders (LEND) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Rural Centers of Excellence Veterans Affairs Community Care H.R. 4292 - COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence Act H.R. 959 - Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act H.R. 4128, S. 2209 - VALID Act H.R. 4151, S. 2238 - FASD Respect Act S. 4348 - FDA Safety and Landmark Advancement Act H.R. 7667 - Food And Drug Amendments of 2022

Client expense: $60,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

Health Insurance Coverage (general); Health Disparities (general); Breastfeeding (general); Assisted Reproductive Technology (general); Smoking Cessation (general); Substance Use Disorder (general); Gynecologic Cancer (general); Gynecologic Devices (general); Reproductive Health (general); Intimate Partner Violence (general); Gun Violence (general); Immunization (general); Breast Cancer (general); Medical Liability Reform (general); Health IT (general); Patient-Physician Relationship (general); Child Welfare (general); Prematurity (general); Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (general); Graduate Medical Education (general); Contraception (general); Abortion (general); Mifepristone (general); Indian Health (general); Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (general); Community Health Centers (general); National Health Service Corps (general); Health care workforce (general); Title VII Health Workforce Programs (general); Title VIII Health Workforce Programs (general); Special Diabetes Program (general); Special Diabetes Program for Indians (general); Sexuality Education (general); Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (general); Personal Responsibility Education Program (general); Sexually Transmitted Infections (general); Access and Provision of Medication-based Opioid Use Disorder Treatment (HHS); Research in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (general); Health Care Reform (general); Title X Family Planning Program (general); Womens Preventive Services (general); Administrative Burden (general); COVID-19 Response (general); Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (general); Data Collection (general); Health Equity (general); Social Determinants of Health (General) Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (CDC); Provider Relief Fund (general); Maternal Mental Health (general); Violence Against Women Act (general); COVID-19 Vaccine (general); H.R. 3755/S. 1975, Womens Health Protection Act; implementation of P.L. 115-344, Preventing Maternal Deaths Act; implementation of P.L. 115-320, Improving Access to Maternity Care Act; H.R. 4387/S.1675, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act; H.R. 959/ S. 346, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021; implementation of P.L. 116-123, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020; implementation of P.L. 116-127, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; implementation of P.L. 116-136, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; implementation of P.L. 116-139, Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act; H.R. 3021 the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act; H.R. 1065/S. 1486, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act; implementation of P.L. 117-105, Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act; S. 176, Ensuring Understanding of COVID-19 to Protect Public Health Act; H.R. 736/S. 167, Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act; H.R. 1350/ S.408, Supporting Best Practices for Healthy Moms Act; H.R. 3407/S. 411, MOMMAs Act; H.R. 769/S.1491, Rural MOMS Act; implementation of P.L. 117-2, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; H.R. 2216 /S.1063, the Jeanette Acosta Invest in Womens Health Act; H.R. 2007/S. 2444, Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2021; H.R. 3110/S. 1658, PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act; H.R. 2903/S.1515, CONNECT for Health Act; H.R. 3671/S.1958, Doctors of Community (DOC) Act; Implementation of P.L. 114-255, the 21st Century Cures Act; Implementation of the No Surprises Act contained in P.L. 116-260, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021; S. 1234/H.R. 2556, the Maternal CARE Act; S. 1333, the MOMS Act; S. 198/H.R. 1218, the Data Mapping to Save Moms Lives Act; H.R. 1439, Expanded Genetic Screening Act of 2021; S. 1622, the HEALTH for MOM Act of 2021; H.R. 482/S. 350, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act; H.R. 804/S. 248, FAMILY Act; H.R. 5/S. 393, Equality Act; H.R. 4151/S. 2238, FASD Respect Act; H.R. 6000, Cures 2.0 Act; Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H); H.R. 5376/S.___, Build Back Better Act; H.R. 5218, Collaborate in an Orderly and Cohesive Manner Act; H.R. 5239/ S. 2941, Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2021; H.R. 4576/S. 2390, Support Through Loss Act; H.R 6143, Supporting Health Care Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Act; H.R. 7073/S.3824, Into the Light for MMH and SUD Act of 2022; H.R.5487/S.3972, SHINE for Autumn Act of 2021; Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) (general); H.R.4128/ S.2209, VALID Act of 2021; Pandemic Preparedness (general); S.3799, PREVENT Pandemics Act; S.Res.560, A resolution recognizing the significance of endometriosis as an unmet chronic disease for women and designating March 2022 as "Endometriosis Awareness Month"; Disclosure of Ingredients in Menstrual Products (general); H.R.7011/S.3797, Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2022; Healthy Start Program (HRSA); Tobacco Product Standard for Characterizing Flavors in Cigars (OMB); Tobacco Product Standard for Menthol in Cigars (OMB); H.R. 2234/S. 1021, Equal Access to Abortion Coverage (EACH) Act; S. 4467, Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act; S.Res.664, A resolution expressing opposition to the criminalization of essential healthcare, including the full range of sexual and reproductive healthcare such as abortion, gender-affirming care, and contraceptive care, and disapproving of the criminalization of pregnancy outcomes; H.Res.589, Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that policies governing access to medication abortion care in the United States should be equitable and based on science; H.R. 7894/S. 4347, Affordability is Access Act (AAA); H.R. 6005/S. 3223, Access to Birth Control Act; H.R. 7845, NIH Clinical Trial Diversity Act of 2022; H.R. 4217, TRIUMPH for New Moms Act of 2021; H.R.7974 - Endometriosis CARE Act of 2022; H.R. 7666 - Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022; H.R. 8185/S. 4440 Screening for Communities to Receive Early and Equitable Needed Services for Cancer Act; H.R. 7617/S. 309, Preventive Care Awareness Act of 2022; H.Res.1072/S.Res.602, Expressing support for the designation of April 30, 2022, as "National Adult Hepatitis B Vaccination Awareness Day"; Safety and efficacy of noninvasive prenatal screening tests (FDA/CMS); COVID-19 public health emergency unwinding (general); ; Implementation of the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act and Rural MOMS Act included in P.L. 117-103H.R.2471, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022; fertility fraud and assisted reproductive technology (general); health care provider conscience protections (general).

COVID-19 relief P.L. 111-148 - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Health Information Technology Health workforce shortage issues, Title VII and Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act, nursing, graduate nursing education, nursing-managed health clinics Health wellness and prevention programs Research tobacco, e-cigarettes and flavorings University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Leadership in Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Related Disorders (LEND) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Rural Centers of Excellence H.R. 4292 - COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence Act H.R. 959 - Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act H.R. 4128, S. 2209 - VALID Act H.R. 4151, S. 2238 - FASD Respect Act

Client expense: $100,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

Health Insurance Coverage (general); Health Disparities (general); Breastfeeding (general); Assisted Reproductive Technology (general); Smoking Cessation (general); Substance Use Disorder (general); Gynecologic Cancer (general); Gynecologic Devices (general); Reproductive Health (general); Intimate Partner Violence (general); Gun Violence (general); Immunization (general); Breast Cancer (general); Medical Liability Reform (general); Health IT (general); Patient-Physician Relationship (general); Child Welfare (general); Prematurity (general); Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (general); Graduate Medical Education (general); Contraception (general); Abortion (general); Mifepristone (general); Indian Health (general); Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (general); Community Health Centers (general); National Health Service Corps (general); Health care workforce (general); Title VII Health Workforce Programs (general); Special Diabetes Program (general); Special Diabetes Program for Indians (general); Sexuality Education (general); Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (general); Personal Responsibility Education Program (general); Sexually Transmitted Infections (general); Access and Provision of Medication-based Opioid Use Disorder Treatment (HHS); Research in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (general); Health Care Reform (general); Title X Family Planning Program (general); Womens Preventive Services (general); Administrative Burden (general); COVID-19 Response (general); Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (general); Data Collection (general); Health Equity (general); Social Determinants of Health (General) Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (CDC); Provider Relief Fund (general); Maternal Mental Health (general); Violence Against Women Act (general); COVID-19 Vaccine (general); H.R. 3755/S. 1975, Womens Health Protection Act; implementation of P.L. 115-344, Preventing Maternal Deaths Act; implementation of P.L. 115-320, Improving Access to Maternity Care Act; H.R. 4387/S.1675, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act; H.R. 959/ S. 346, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021; implementation of P.L. 116-123, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020; implementation of P.L. 116-127, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; implementation of P.L. 116-136, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; implementation of P.L. 116-139, Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act; H.R. 3021 the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act; H.R. 1065/S. 1486, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act; H.R.1667/S. 610, Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act; S. 176, Ensuring Understanding of COVID-19 to Protect Public Health Act; H.R. 736/S. 167, Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act; H.R. 1350/ S.408, Supporting Best Practices for Healthy Moms Act; H.R. 3407/S. 411, MOMMAs Act; H.R. 769/S.1491, Rural MOMS Act; implementation of P.L. 117-2, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; H.R. 2216 /S.1063, the Jeanette Acosta Invest in Womens Health Act; H.R. 2007/S. 2444, Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2021; H.R. 3110/S. 1658, PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act; H.R. 2903/S.1515, CONNECT for Health Act; H.R. 3671/S.1958, Doctors of Community (DOC) Act; Implementation of P.L. 114-255, the 21st Century Cures Act; Implementation of the No Surprises Act contained in P.L. 116-260, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021; S. 1234/H.R. 2556, the Maternal CARE Act; S. 1333, the MOMS Act; S. 198/H.R. 1218, the Data Mapping to Save Moms Lives Act; H.R. 1439, Expanded Genetic Screening Act of 2021; S. 1622, the HEALTH for MOM Act of 2021; H.R. 482/S. 350, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act; H.R. 804/S. 248, FAMILY Act; H.R. 5/S. 393, Equality Act; H.R. 4151/S. 2238, FASD Respect Act; H.R. 6000, Cures 2.0 Act; Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H); H.R. 5376/S.___, Build Back Better Act; H.R. 5218, Collaborate in an Orderly and Cohesive Manner Act; H.R. 5239/ S. 2941, Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2021; H.R. 4576/S. 2390, Support Through Loss Act; H.R 6143, Supporting Health Care Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Act; H.R. 7073/S.3824, Into the Light for MMH and SUD Act of 2022; H.R.5487/S.3972, SHINE for Autumn Act of 2021; Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) (general); H.R.4128/ S.2209, VALID Act of 2021; Pandemic Preparedness (general); S.3799, PREVENT Pandemics Act; S.Res.560, A resolution recognizing the significance of endometriosis as an unmet chronic disease for women and designating March 2022 as "Endometriosis Awareness Month"; Disclosure of Ingredients in Menstrual Products (general); H.R.7011/S.3797, Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2022; Healthy Start Program (HRSA); Tobacco Product Standard for Characterizing Flavors in Cigars (OMB); Tobacco Product Standard for Menthol in Cigars (OMB).

Health Insurance Coverage (general); Health Disparities (general); Breastfeeding (general); Assisted Reproductive Technology (general); Smoking Cessation (general); Substance Use Disorder (general); Gynecologic Cancer (general); Gynecologic Devices (general); Reproductive Health (general); Intimate Partner Violence (general); Gun Violence (general); Immunization (general); Breast Cancer (general); Medical Liability Reform (general); Health IT (general); Patient-Physician Relationship (general); Child Welfare (general); Prematurity (general); Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (general); Graduate Medical Education (general); Contraception (general); Abortion (general); Mifepristone (general); Indian Health (general); Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (general); Community Health Centers (general); National Health Service Corps (general); Health care workforce (general); Title VII Health Workforce Programs (general); Special Diabetes Program (general); Special Diabetes Program for Indians (general); Sexuality Education (general); Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (general); Personal Responsibility Education Program (general); Sexually Transmitted Infections (general); Access and Provision of Medication-based Opioid Use Disorder Treatment (HHS); Research in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (general); Health Care Reform (general); Title X Family Planning Program (general); Womens Preventive Services (general); Administrative Burden (general); COVID-19 Response (general); Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (general); Data Collection (general); Health Equity (general); Social Determinants of Health (General) Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (CDC); Provider Relief Fund (general); Maternal Mental Health (general); Violence Against Women Act (general); COVID-19 Vaccine (general); H.R. 3755/S. 1975, Womens Health Protection Act; implementation of P.L. 115-344, Preventing Maternal Deaths Act; implementation of P.L. 115-320, Improving Access to Maternity Care Act; H.R. 4387/S.1675, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act; H.R. 959/ S. 346, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021; implementation of P.L. 116-123, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020; implementation of P.L. 116-127, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; implementation of P.L. 116-136, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; implementation of P.L. 116-139, Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act; H.R. 3021 the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act; H.R. 1065/S. 1486, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act; H.R.1667/S. 610, Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act; S, 176, Ensuring Understanding of COVID-19 to Protect Public Health Act; H.R. 736/S. 167, Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act; H.R. 1350/ S.408, Supporting Best Practices for Healthy Moms Act; H.R. 3407/S. 411, MOMMAs Act; H.R. 769/S.1491, Rural MOMS Act; implementation of P.L. 117-2, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; H.R. 2216 /S.1063, the Jeanette Acosta Invest in Womens Health Act; H.R. 2007/S. 2444, Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2021; H.R. 3110/S. 1658, PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act; H.R. 2903/S.1515, CONNECT for Health Act; H.R. 3671/S.1958, Doctors of Community (DOC) Act; Implementation of P.L. 114-255, the 21st Century Cures Act; Implementation of the No Surprises Act contained in P.L. 116-260, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021; S. 1234/H.R. 2556, the Maternal CARE Act; S. 1333, the MOMS Act; S. 198/H.R. 1218, the Data Mapping to Save Moms Lives Act; H.R. 1439, Expanded Genetic Screening Act of 2021; S. 1622, the HEALTH for MOM Act of 2021; H.R. 482/S. 350, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act; H.R. 804/S. 248, FAMILY Act; H.R. 5/S. 393, Equality Act; H.R. 4151/S. 2238, FASD Respect Act; H.R. 6000, Cures 2.0 Act; Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H); H.R. 5376/S.___, Build Back Better Act; H.R. 5218, Collaborate in an Orderly and Cohesive Manner Act; H.R. 5239/ S. 2941, Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2021; H.R. 4576/S. 2390, Support Through Loss Act; H.R 6143, Supporting Health Care Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Act.

Health Insurance Coverage (general); Health Disparities (general); Breastfeeding (general); Assisted Reproductive Technology (general); Smoking Cessation (general); Substance Use Disorder (general); Gynecologic Cancer (general); Gynecologic Devices (general); Reproductive Health (general); Intimate Partner Violence (general); Gun Violence (general); Immunization (general); Breast Cancer (general); Medical Liability Reform (general); Health IT (general); Patient-Physician Relationship (general); Child Welfare (general); Prematurity (general); Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (general); Graduate Medical Education (general); Contraception (general); Abortion (general); Mifepristone (general); Indian Health (general); Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (general); Community Health Centers (general); National Health Service Corps (general); Health care workforce (general); Title VII Health Workforce Programs (general); Special Diabetes Program (general); Special Diabetes Program for Indians (general); Sexuality Education (general); Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (general); Personal Responsibility Education Program (general); Sexually Transmitted Infections (general); Tobacco Cessation (general); Access and Provision of Medication-based Opioid Use Disorder Treatment (HHS); Research in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (general); Health Care Reform (general); Title X Family Planning Program (general); Womens Preventive Services (general); Administrative Burden (general); COVID-19 Response (general); Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (general); Data Collection (general); Health Equity (general); Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (CDC); Provider Relief Fund (general); Maternal Mental Health (general); Violence Against Women Act (general); COVID-19 Vaccine (general); H.R. 3755/S. 1975, Womens Health Protection Act; H.R. _/S. _, VACCINES Act; implementation of P.L. 115-344, Preventing Maternal Deaths Act; implementation of P.L. 115-320, Improving Access to Maternity Care Act; H.R. 4387/S.1675, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act; H.R. 959/ S. 346, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021; implementation of P.L. 116-123, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020; implementation of P.L. 116-127, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; implementation of P.L. 116-136, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; implementation of P.L. 116-139, Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act; H.R. 3021 the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act; H.R. 1065/S. 1486, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act; H.R. _/S._, the Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act; H.R.1667/S. 610, Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act; S, 176, Ensuring Understanding of COVID-19 to Protect Public Health Act; H.R. 736/S. 167, Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act; H.R. 1350/ S.408, Supporting Best Practices for Healthy Moms Act; H.R. 3407/S. 411, MOMMAs Act; H.R. 769/S.1491, Rural MOMS Act; implementation of P.L. 117-2, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; H.R. 2216 /S.1063, the Jeanette Acosta Invest in Womens Health Act; H.R. 2007, Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2021; H.R. 3110/S. 1658, PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act; H.R. 2903/S.1515, CONNECT for Health Act; H.R. 3671/S.1958, Doctors of Community (DOC) Act; H.Res.375, Supporting the goals and ideals of the month of May as Sex Ed For All Month: Equity and Access for All; Implementation of P.L. 114-255, the 21st Century Cures Act; Implementation of the No Surprises Act contained in P.L. 116-260, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021; ; S. 1234/H.R. 2556, the Maternal CARE Act; S. 1333, the MOMS Act; S. 198/H.R. 1218, the Data Mapping to Save Moms Lives Act; H.R. 1439, Expanded Genetic Screening Act of 2021; S. 1622, the HEALTH for MOM Act of 2021; H.R. 482/S. 350, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act; H.R. 804/S. 248, FAMILY Act; H.R. 5/S. 393, Equality Act; H.R. 4151/S. 2238, FASD Respect Act; H.R. ___, Cures 2.0 Act; Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H); H.R. 5376, Build Back Better Act; H.R. 5218, Collaborate in an Orderly and Cohesive Manner Act; H.R. 5239/ S. 2941, Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2021; H.R. 4576/S. 2390, Support Through Loss Act

Health Insurance Coverage (general); Health Disparities (general); Breastfeeding (general); Assisted Reproductive Technology (general); Smoking Cessation (general); Substance Use Disorder (general); Gynecologic Cancer (general); Gynecologic Devices (general); Reproductive Health (general); Intimate Partner Violence (general); Gun Violence (general); Immunization (general); Breast Cancer (general); Medical Liability Reform (general); Health IT (general); Patient-Physician Relationship (general); Child Welfare (general); Prematurity (general); Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (general); Graduate Medical Education (general); Contraception (general); Abortion (general); Mifepristone (general); Indian Health (general); Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (general); Community Health Centers (general); National Health Service Corps (general); Health care workforce (general); Title VII Health Workforce Programs (general); Special Diabetes Program (general); Special Diabetes Program for Indians (general); Sexuality Education (general); Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (general); Personal Responsibility Education Program (general); Sexually Transmitted Infections (general); Tobacco Cessation (general); Access and Provision of Medication-based Opioid Use Disorder Treatment (HHS); Research in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (general); Health Care Reform (general); Title X Family Planning Program (general); Womens Preventive Services (general); Administrative Burden (general); COVID-19 Response (general); Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (general); Data Collection (general); Health Equity (general); Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (CDC); Provider Relief Fund (general); Maternal Mental Health (general); Violence Against Women Act (general); COVID-19 Vaccine (general); H.R. 3755/S. 1975, Womens Health Protection Act; H.R. _/S. _, VACCINES Act; implementation of P.L. 115-344, Preventing Maternal Deaths Act; implementation of P.L. 115-320, Improving Access to Maternity Care Act; H.R. 4387/S.1675, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act; H.R. 959/ S. 346, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021; implementation of P.L. 116-123, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020; implementation of P.L. 116-127, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; implementation of P.L. 116-136, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; implementation of P.L. 116-139, Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act; H.R. 3021 the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act; H.R. 1065/S. 1486, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act; H.R. _/S._, the Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act; H.R.1667/S. 610, Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act; S, 176, Ensuring Understanding of COVID-19 to Protect Public Health Act; H.R. 736/S. 167, Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act; H.R. 1350/ S.408, Supporting Best Practices for Healthy Moms Act; H.R. 3407/S. 411, MOMMAs Act; H.R. 769/S.1491, Rural MOMS Act; implementation of P.L. 117-2, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; H.R. 2216 /S.1063, the Jeanette Acosta Invest in Womens Health Act; H.R. 2007, Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2021; H.R. 3110/S. 1658, PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act; H.R. 2903/S.1515, CONNECT for Health Act; H.R. 3671/S.1958, Doctors of Community (DOC) Act; H.Res.375, Supporting the goals and ideals of the month of May as Sex Ed For All Month: Equity and Access for All; Implementation of P.L. 114-255, the 21st Century Cures Act; Implementation of the No Surprises Act contained in P.L. 116-260, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021; ; S. 1234/H.R. 2556, the Maternal CARE Act; S. 1333, the MOMS Act; S. 198/H.R. 1218, the Data Mapping to Save Moms Lives Act; H.R. 1439, Expanded Genetic Screening Act of 2021; S. 1622, the HEALTH for MOM Act of 2021; H.R. 482/S. 350, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act; H.R. 804/S. 248, FAMILY Act; H.R. 5/S. 393, Equality Act; H.R. 4151/S. 2238, FASD Respect Act; H.R. ___, Cures 2.0 Act; Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H); H.R. 5376, Build Back Better Act; H.R. 5218, Collaborate in an Orderly and Cohesive Manner Act; H.R. 5239/ S. 2941, Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2021; H.R. 4576/S. 2390, Support Through Loss Act

Advocated for Increased appropriations for HRSAs Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. This program provides student loan repayment for addiction treatment professionals who commit to working in underserved or high-risk communities. Advocated for increased appropriations for HRSAs Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program. This Program provides grants to institutions with training opportunities for fellows in addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry who have demonstrated interest in providing addiction treatment in underserved communities Advocated for increased appropriations for HRSAs Integrated Substance Use Disorder Training Program. This program provides grants to expand the number of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, and social workers trained to provide addiction and mental health services in underserved community-based settings that integrate primary care, mental health, and addiction services. Advocated for increased appropriations for federal initiatives that lead to a more diverse addiction treatment workforce, such as scholarships and loan repayment targeting underrepresented minority addiction medicine professionals, including SAMHSAs Minority Fellowship Program. Advocated for the alignment of coverage and payment policies in Medicare and Medicaid with evidence-based and nationally recognized addiction treatment and placement criteria and standards (e.g., The ASAM Criteria). This would include permanent modification to the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion to allow federal Medicaid funds to serve individuals with SUDs in those residential and inpatient settings that are able to demonstrate that patient assessments, clinical services, level-of-care and length-of-stay recommendations are consistent with The ASAM Criteria and that evidence based medication management using Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications are available to patients in such settings Advocated for regulatory/sub-regulatory/application guidance that would require the use of evidence-based practices in the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant, including requiring each grantee delivering SUD treatment services to provide access to all FDA-approved medications for SUDs treated by that grantee. Advocated for a requirement that SAPT, State Opioid Response Grant (SOR), and Rural Communities Opioid Response Program grantees that receive grant funds for the delivery of addiction treatment services should be limited to Medicaid providers in order to better integrate federal grant dollars and Medicaid funds and Administration support for increased oversight and improved mechanisms for ensuring that such funding does not supplant the consistent and scalable funding that Medicaid (or Medicare) provides. Advocated for S 2235/HR 2067 - Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act of 2021: This legislation would ensure most Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) controlled medication prescribers have a baseline knowledge of how to identify, treat, and manage patients with SUD and would allow accredited health professional schools and residency programs to fulfill the training requirement through their own curricula, as well as provide them with resources to do so. Advocated for simultaneous passage of S 445/HR 1384 - Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, which would eliminate the requirement that practitioners apply for a separate waiver through the DEA to prescribe buprenorphine for addiction and eliminate the patient limits on buprenorphine prescribers. Advocated for S 285/HR 955 - the Medicaid Reentry Act: This legislation would allow for reestablishment of health insurance coverage under Medicaid for eligible individuals who are incarcerated, during the 30-day period preceding their release from jail or prison. Advocated for S 1821/HR 3514 - the Humane Correctional Health Care Act, which would repeal the inmate exclusion that bars the use of federal Medicaid matching funds from covering health care services in jails and prisons. Advocated for S1727/HR 3450 - The Medicaid Bump Act of 2021: This legislation would provide an enhanced Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage rate of 90 percent for State Medicaid spending on mental health and substance use disorder services in excess of 2019 levels. It would also require states to use the additional federal funds as a supplement to rather than a replacement for state funding levels, and to use the funds to increase the capacity, efficiency, and quality of behavioral health services, including through increasing provider reimbursement rates; Advocated for Section 9 of S. 1010 - the Turn the Tide Act - These provisions would increase Medicaid fees for addiction treatment services to at least Medicare levels; Advocated for HR 1364 - the Parity Enforcement Act: This legislation would expand the U.S. Department of Labors authority to hold health insurers and plan sponsors accountable for offering health plans that violate the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 or for employing utilization review processes that prove more restrictive for mental health and addiction care than for other medical care in violation of the MHPAEA Advocated for S 340/HR 1674 - TREATS Act: This legislation would make permanent a new, audio-video, telehealth evaluation exception to the Ryan Haight Acts in-person exam requirement, which would allow clinicians to prescribe certain addiction treatment medications, like buprenorphine, to new patients through telehealth. It would also clarify Medicares continued ability, beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency, to reimburse for audio-only, SUD and mental health telehealth services after an in-person or telehealth evaluation. Provided technical assistance regarding a possible audio-only exception to Ryan Haight for initiation of buprenorphine for OUD. Advocated for HR 3925 Reducing Barriers to Substance Use Treatment Act: This legislation would prohibit states receiving Federal funding for medication-assisted treatment under Medicaid from imposing utilization control policies or procedures (as defined by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services), including prior authorization requirements, with respect to such treatment. Advocated for the Administration to support continuous collaboration and sharing of information between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and SAMHSA, which should include new, strategic efforts to provide technical assistance funds to states to support their operation of CMS-approved Section 1115 SUD waivers related to the IMD exclusion and to enhance their care delivery systems for patients. Advocated for the Administration to increase promotion to State Medicaid programs of adoption of two, new sets of bundled G codes to increase or establish payment for outpatient opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment and treatment services provided by opioid treatment programs (OTPs) at Medicare payment rates or higher. Advocated for the Administration to support the following regulatory and administrative efforts that would reduce barriers to accessing addiction treatment: Creation of safe-harbor provisions to the Anti-Kickback Statute and Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act Civil, as they may be applied to the implementation of contingency management (CM) for the treatment of addiction. Approval of a prescription to over the counter (OTC) switch for at least one naloxone product. This change would save lives and reduce existing barriers that prevent access to this critical medication; Regulatory changes that would allow Medicaid reimbursement for the room and board portion of SUD residential levels of care that meet level of care standards set forth in The ASAM Criteria; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would create a special registration exemption for jails, prisons, and their authorized personnel to prescribe and otherwise dispense controlled medications for initiation, maintenance or withdrawal management of OUD that is significantly less burdensome than currently applicable registration requirements in the Controlled Substances Act and related regulations. Such special registration should not limit the number of persons who are detained or incarcerated who can be treated with such medications by a qualified practitioner; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would allow pharmacy dispensing and/or administration of methadone that has been prescribed by a legally authorized prescriber of controlled medications who is affiliated with an OTP or is a board-certified addiction specialist physician; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would make permanent the opioid treatment program (OTP) flexibilities, including the methadone unsupervised dosing flexibilities, implemented during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency while continuing study of the impact of these flexibilities; Assessment of current opioid order systems and monitoring programs to more fully understand the potential negative implications for patient access to buprenorphine at pharmacies and other controlled substance medications used to treat OUD; ; In the absence of Congressional action to eliminate the x-waiver, efforts to increase the DATA 2000 waiver patient limit -- aka, the applicable number; Issuance of regulations relating to a special registration for telemedicine, as was directed in Section 3232 of the SUPPORT Act of 2018. Advocated for the S.834/H.R.2256 Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, which would increase the number of Medicare GME slots by 14,000 over 7 years, including its inclusion in the next reconciliation package Advocated for House Resolution 349, which would support the goals of Overdose Awareness Day by lowering the United States flag to halfstaff on all Federal buildings on August 31st of each year. Advocated for the Support, Treatment, and Overdose Prevention of (S.T.O.P) Fentanyl Act of 2021 (H.R. 2366 / S. 1457). This legislation would expand fentanyl research and education, enhance overdose prevention and access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, and provide critical public health data and additional training support for various stakeholders. Advocated for changes to a draft opioid treatment program bill to make permanent certain COVID-19 flexibilities allowed to states for unsupervised doses, as well as "time in treatment" regulatory changes and to permit pharmacy dispensing of methadone for opioid use disorder treatment for certain experienced cohorts of prescribers Submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlining suggested improvements to the proposed Physician Payment Schedule for calendar year (CY) 2022. Among other recommendations, ASAM urged that CMS work with Congress to avoid a 2.5% cut in reimbursements for addiction medicine (ADM), finalize coding and payment rules for take-home naloxone nasal spray, and extend audio-only flexibility for opioid treatment programs (OTPs) to furnish therapy and counseling payments for substance use disorder (SUD). Advocated for the inclusion of enhanced mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) parity enforcement within the Senates version of the budget reconciliation proposal. These enhanced enforcement measures would authorize the Department of Labor to assess civil monetary penalties against insurers that violate the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. Supported $195 million over five years to the Employee Benefits Security Administration for enforcement. Advocated for the Moms Matter Act (H.R. 909). The Moms Matter Act is a bipartisan bill that would increase federal funding for culturally congruent, community-based mental and behavior health programs. Advocated for H.R 1693 / S. 79, the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act. This legislation would eliminate the federal crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity and apply it retroactively to those already convicted or sentenced. Supported nomination of Dr. Rahul Gupta to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a critical position for coordinating the nations drug policy and response to the nations drug addiction and overdose crisis. Supported the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 2069/H.R. 4323). This legislation would allow for every state and territory the ability to join the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration and would authorize investments in the model for current and prospective CCBHCs. Supported implemented recommendations regarding the CARES Acts amendment of 42 CFR Part 2 to advance further alignment of 42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2) with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations (TPO). Advocated for H.R. 2786/ S. 1314, the Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2021, which would increase the federal excise tax on cigarettes and set federal tax rates for other tobacco products at an equivalent level. Supported the tobacco tax provisions included in the portion of the Build Back Better Act that was approved by the Ways and Means Committee Advocated for passage of the Advancing FASD Research, Services, and Prevention Act (S.2238 and H.R.4151), known as the FASD Respect Act. The legislation would in part reauthorize and strengthen existing federal FASD programs at NIAAA, CDC, and HRSA, and for the first time calls for long-neglected, meaningful support for individuals and families living with FASD. Supported H.R.4244 - STOP Stigma Act, which would make amendments to the names of certain agencies to help end the stigmatization of substance use disorder, and for other purposes. Supported the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) efforts to enhance the exchange of clinical and administrative data through their recommendations to the Secretary but highlighted the important role of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set as serving the needs of a data-driven health system by allowing physicians, patients, researchers, medical groups, allied health care professionals, health systems, hospitals, medical coders, accreditation organizations, payers, and health information technology professionals to easily exchange data on the medical services and procedures provided to patients. Supported draft legislation that would amend the Controlled Substances Act to increase the number of days before which certain controlled substances for maintenance or detoxification treatment must be administered, and for other purposes.

Advocated for Increased appropriations for HRSAs Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. This program provides student loan repayment for addiction treatment professionals who commit to working in underserved or high-risk communities. Advocated for increased appropriations for HRSAs Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program. This Program provides grants to institutions with training opportunities for fellows in addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry who have demonstrated interest in providing addiction treatment in underserved communities Advocated for increased appropriations for HRSAs Integrated Substance Use Disorder Training Program. This program provides grants to expand the number of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, and social workers trained to provide addiction and mental health services in underserved community-based settings that integrate primary care, mental health, and addiction services. Advocated for increased appropriations for federal initiatives that lead to a more diverse addiction treatment workforce, such as scholarships and loan repayment targeting underrepresented minority addiction medicine professionals, including SAMHSAs Minority Fellowship Program. Advocated for the alignment of coverage and payment policies in Medicare and Medicaid with evidence-based and nationally recognized addiction treatment and placement criteria and standards (e.g., The ASAM Criteria). This would include permanent modification to the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion to allow federal Medicaid funds to serve individuals with SUDs in those residential and inpatient settings that are able to demonstrate that patient assessments, clinical services, level-of-care and length-of-stay recommendations are consistent with The ASAM Criteria and that evidence based medication management using Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications are available to patients in such settings Advocated for regulatory/sub-regulatory/application guidance that would require the use of evidence-based practices in the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant, including requiring each grantee delivering SUD treatment services to provide access to all FDA-approved medications for SUDs treated by that grantee. Advocated for a requirement that SAPT, State Opioid Response Grant (SOR), and Rural Communities Opioid Response Program grantees that receive grant funds for the delivery of addiction treatment services should be limited to Medicaid providers in order to better integrate federal grant dollars and Medicaid funds and Administration support for increased oversight and improved mechanisms for ensuring that such funding does not supplant the consistent and scalable funding that Medicaid (or Medicare) provides. Advocated for S 2235/HR 2067 - Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act of 2021: This legislation would ensure most Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) controlled medication prescribers have a baseline knowledge of how to identify, treat, and manage patients with SUD and would allow accredited health professional schools and residency programs to fulfill the training requirement through their own curricula, as well as provide them with resources to do so. Advocated for simultaneous passage of S 445/HR 1384 - Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, which would eliminate the requirement that practitioners apply for a separate waiver through the DEA to prescribe buprenorphine for addiction and eliminate the patient limits on buprenorphine prescribers. Advocated for S 285/HR 955 - the Medicaid Reentry Act: This legislation would allow for reestablishment of health insurance coverage under Medicaid for eligible individuals who are incarcerated, during the 30-day period preceding their release from jail or prison. Advocated for S 1821/HR 3514 - the Humane Correctional Health Care Act, which would repeal the inmate exclusion that bars the use of federal Medicaid matching funds from covering health care services in jails and prisons. Advocated for S1727/HR 3450 - The Medicaid Bump Act of 2021: This legislation would provide an enhanced Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage rate of 90 percent for State Medicaid spending on mental health and substance use disorder services in excess of 2019 levels. It would also require states to use the additional federal funds as a supplement to rather than a replacement for state funding levels, and to use the funds to increase the capacity, efficiency, and quality of behavioral health services, including through increasing provider reimbursement rates; Advocated for Section 9 of S. 1010 - the Turn the Tide Act - These provisions would increase Medicaid fees for addiction treatment services to at least Medicare levels; Advocated for HR 1364 - the Parity Enforcement Act: This legislation would expand the U.S. Department of Labors authority to hold health insurers and plan sponsors accountable for offering health plans that violate the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 or for employing utilization review processes that prove more restrictive for mental health and addiction care than for other medical care in violation of the MHPAEA Advocated for S 340/HR 1674 - TREATS Act: This legislation would make permanent a new, audio-video, telehealth evaluation exception to the Ryan Haight Acts in-person exam requirement, which would allow clinicians to prescribe certain addiction treatment medications, like buprenorphine, to new patients through telehealth. It would also clarify Medicares continued ability, beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency, to reimburse for audio-only, SUD and mental health telehealth services after an in-person or telehealth evaluation. Provided technical assistance regarding a possible audio-only exception to Ryan Haight for initiation of buprenorphine for OUD. Advocated for HR 3925 Reducing Barriers to Substance Use Treatment Act: This legislation would prohibit states receiving Federal funding for medication-assisted treatment under Medicaid from imposing utilization control policies or procedures (as defined by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services), including prior authorization requirements, with respect to such treatment. Advocated for the Administration to support continuous collaboration and sharing of information between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and SAMHSA, which should include new, strategic efforts to provide technical assistance funds to states to support their operation of CMS-approved Section 1115 SUD waivers related to the IMD exclusion and to enhance their care delivery systems for patients. Advocated for the Administration to increase promotion to State Medicaid programs of adoption of two, new sets of bundled G codes to increase or establish payment for outpatient opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment and treatment services provided by opioid treatment programs (OTPs) at Medicare payment rates or higher. Advocated for the Administration to support the following regulatory and administrative efforts that would reduce barriers to accessing addiction treatment: Creation of safe-harbor provisions to the Anti-Kickback Statute and Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act Civil, as they may be applied to the implementation of contingency management (CM) for the treatment of addiction. Approval of a prescription to over the counter (OTC) switch for at least one naloxone product. This change would save lives and reduce existing barriers that prevent access to this critical medication; Regulatory changes that would allow Medicaid reimbursement for the room and board portion of SUD residential levels of care that meet level of care standards set forth in The ASAM Criteria; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would create a special registration exemption for jails, prisons, and their authorized personnel to prescribe and otherwise dispense controlled medications for initiation, maintenance or withdrawal management of OUD that is significantly less burdensome than currently applicable registration requirements in the Controlled Substances Act and related regulations. Such special registration should not limit the number of persons who are detained or incarcerated who can be treated with such medications by a qualified practitioner; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would allow pharmacy dispensing and/or administration of methadone that has been prescribed by a legally authorized prescriber of controlled medications who is affiliated with an OTP or is a board-certified addiction specialist physician; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would make permanent the opioid treatment program (OTP) flexibilities, including the methadone unsupervised dosing flexibilities, implemented during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency while continuing study of the impact of these flexibilities; Assessment of current opioid order systems and monitoring programs to more fully understand the potential negative implications for patient access to buprenorphine at pharmacies and other controlled substance medications used to treat OUD; ; In the absence of Congressional action to eliminate the x-waiver, efforts to increase the DATA 2000 waiver patient limit -- aka, the applicable number; Issuance of regulations relating to a special registration for telemedicine, as was directed in Section 3232 of the SUPPORT Act of 2018. Advocated for the S.834/H.R.2256 Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, which would increase the number of Medicare GME slots by 14,000 over 7 years, including its inclusion in the next reconciliation package Advocated for House Resolution 349, which would support the goals of Overdose Awareness Day by lowering the United States flag to halfstaff on all Federal buildings on August 31st of each year. Advocated for the Support, Treatment, and Overdose Prevention of (S.T.O.P) Fentanyl Act of 2021 (H.R. 2366 / S. 1457). This legislation would expand fentanyl research and education, enhance overdose prevention and access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, and provide critical public health data and additional training support for various stakeholders. Advocated for changes to a draft opioid treatment program bill to make permanent certain COVID-19 flexibilities allowed to states for unsupervised doses, as well as "time in treatment" regulatory changes and to permit pharmacy dispensing of methadone for opioid use disorder treatment for certain experienced cohorts of prescribers Submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlining suggested improvements to the proposed Physician Payment Schedule for calendar year (CY) 2022. Among other recommendations, ASAM urged that CMS work with Congress to avoid a 2.5% cut in reimbursements for addiction medicine (ADM), finalize coding and payment rules for take-home naloxone nasal spray, and extend audio-only flexibility for opioid treatment programs (OTPs) to furnish therapy and counseling payments for substance use disorder (SUD). Advocated for the inclusion of enhanced mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) parity enforcement within the Senates version of the budget reconciliation proposal. These enhanced enforcement measures would authorize the Department of Labor to assess civil monetary penalties against insurers that violate the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. Supported $195 million over five years to the Employee Benefits Security Administration for enforcement. Advocated for the Moms Matter Act (H.R. 909). The Moms Matter Act is a bipartisan bill that would increase federal funding for culturally congruent, community-based mental and behavior health programs. Advocated for H.R 1693 / S. 79, the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act. This legislation would eliminate the federal crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity and apply it retroactively to those already convicted or sentenced. Supported nomination of Dr. Rahul Gupta to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a critical position for coordinating the nations drug policy and response to the nations drug addiction and overdose crisis. Supported the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 2069/H.R. 4323). This legislation would allow for every state and territory the ability to join the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration and would authorize investments in the model for current and prospective CCBHCs. Supported implemented recommendations regarding the CARES Acts amendment of 42 CFR Part 2 to advance further alignment of 42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2) with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations (TPO). Advocated for H.R. 2786/ S. 1314, the Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2021, which would increase the federal excise tax on cigarettes and set federal tax rates for other tobacco products at an equivalent level. Supported the tobacco tax provisions included in the portion of the Build Back Better Act that was approved by the Ways and Means Committee Advocated for passage of the Advancing FASD Research, Services, and Prevention Act (S.2238 and H.R.4151), known as the FASD Respect Act. The legislation would in part reauthorize and strengthen existing federal FASD programs at NIAAA, CDC, and HRSA, and for the first time calls for long-neglected, meaningful support for individuals and families living with FASD. Supported H.R.4244 - STOP Stigma Act, which would make amendments to the names of certain agencies to help end the stigmatization of substance use disorder, and for other purposes. Supported the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) efforts to enhance the exchange of clinical and administrative data through their recommendations to the Secretary but highlighted the important role of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set as serving the needs of a data-driven health system by allowing physicians, patients, researchers, medical groups, allied health care professionals, health systems, hospitals, medical coders, accreditation organizations, payers, and health information technology professionals to easily exchange data on the medical services and procedures provided to patients. Supported draft legislation that would amend the Controlled Substances Act to increase the number of days before which certain controlled substances for maintenance or detoxification treatment must be administered, and for other purposes.

Advocated for Increased appropriations for HRSAs Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. This program provides student loan repayment for addiction treatment professionals who commit to working in underserved or high-risk communities. Advocated for increased appropriations for HRSAs Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program. This Program provides grants to institutions with training opportunities for fellows in addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry who have demonstrated interest in providing addiction treatment in underserved communities Advocated for increased appropriations for HRSAs Integrated Substance Use Disorder Training Program. This program provides grants to expand the number of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, and social workers trained to provide addiction and mental health services in underserved community-based settings that integrate primary care, mental health, and addiction services. Advocated for increased appropriations for federal initiatives that lead to a more diverse addiction treatment workforce, such as scholarships and loan repayment targeting underrepresented minority addiction medicine professionals, including SAMHSAs Minority Fellowship Program. Advocated for the alignment of coverage and payment policies in Medicare and Medicaid with evidence-based and nationally recognized addiction treatment and placement criteria and standards (e.g., The ASAM Criteria). This would include permanent modification to the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion to allow federal Medicaid funds to serve individuals with SUDs in those residential and inpatient settings that are able to demonstrate that patient assessments, clinical services, level-of-care and length-of-stay recommendations are consistent with The ASAM Criteria and that evidence based medication management using Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications are available to patients in such settings Advocated for regulatory/sub-regulatory/application guidance that would require the use of evidence-based practices in the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant, including requiring each grantee delivering SUD treatment services to provide access to all FDA-approved medications for SUDs treated by that grantee. Advocated for a requirement that SAPT, State Opioid Response Grant (SOR), and Rural Communities Opioid Response Program grantees that receive grant funds for the delivery of addiction treatment services should be limited to Medicaid providers in order to better integrate federal grant dollars and Medicaid funds and Administration support for increased oversight and improved mechanisms for ensuring that such funding does not supplant the consistent and scalable funding that Medicaid (or Medicare) provides. Advocated for S 2235/HR 2067 - Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act of 2021: This legislation would ensure most Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) controlled medication prescribers have a baseline knowledge of how to identify, treat, and manage patients with SUD and would allow accredited health professional schools and residency programs to fulfill the training requirement through their own curricula, as well as provide them with resources to do so. Advocated for simultaneous passage of S 445/HR 1384 - Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, which would eliminate the requirement that practitioners apply for a separate waiver through the DEA to prescribe buprenorphine for addiction and eliminate the patient limits on buprenorphine prescribers. Advocated for S 285/HR 955 - the Medicaid Reentry Act: This legislation would allow for reestablishment of health insurance coverage under Medicaid for eligible individuals who are incarcerated, during the 30-day period preceding their release from jail or prison. Advocated for S 1821/HR 3514 - the Humane Correctional Health Care Act, which would repeal the inmate exclusion that bars the use of federal Medicaid matching funds from covering health care services in jails and prisons. Advocated for S1727/HR 3450 - The Medicaid Bump Act of 2021: This legislation would provide an enhanced Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage rate of 90 percent for State Medicaid spending on mental health and substance use disorder services in excess of 2019 levels. It would also require states to use the additional federal funds as a supplement to rather than a replacement for state funding levels, and to use the funds to increase the capacity, efficiency, and quality of behavioral health services, including through increasing provider reimbursement rates; Advocated for Section 9 of S. 1010 - the Turn the Tide Act - These provisions would increase Medicaid fees for addiction treatment services to at least Medicare levels; Advocated for HR 1364 - the Parity Enforcement Act: This legislation would expand the U.S. Department of Labors authority to hold health insurers and plan sponsors accountable for offering health plans that violate the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 or for employing utilization review processes that prove more restrictive for mental health and addiction care than for other medical care in violation of the MHPAEA Advocated for S 340/HR 1674 - TREATS Act: This legislation would make permanent a new, audio-video, telehealth evaluation exception to the Ryan Haight Acts in-person exam requirement, which would allow clinicians to prescribe certain addiction treatment medications, like buprenorphine, to new patients through telehealth. It would also clarify Medicares continued ability, beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency, to reimburse for audio-only, SUD and mental health telehealth services after an in-person or telehealth evaluation. Provided technical assistance regarding a possible audio-only exception to Ryan Haight for initiation of buprenorphine for OUD. Advocated for HR 3925 Reducing Barriers to Substance Use Treatment Act: This legislation would prohibit states receiving Federal funding for medication-assisted treatment under Medicaid from imposing utilization control policies or procedures (as defined by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services), including prior authorization requirements, with respect to such treatment. Advocated for the Administration to support continuous collaboration and sharing of information between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and SAMHSA, which should include new, strategic efforts to provide technical assistance funds to states to support their operation of CMS-approved Section 1115 SUD waivers related to the IMD exclusion and to enhance their care delivery systems for patients. Advocated for the Administration to increase promotion to State Medicaid programs of adoption of two, new sets of bundled G codes to increase or establish payment for outpatient opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment and treatment services provided by opioid treatment programs (OTPs) at Medicare payment rates or higher. Advocated for the Administration to support the following regulatory and administrative efforts that would reduce barriers to accessing addiction treatment: Creation of safe-harbor provisions to the Anti-Kickback Statute and Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act Civil, as they may be applied to the implementation of contingency management (CM) for the treatment of addiction. Approval of a prescription to over the counter (OTC) switch for at least one naloxone product. This change would save lives and reduce existing barriers that prevent access to this critical medication; Regulatory changes that would allow Medicaid reimbursement for the room and board portion of SUD residential levels of care that meet level of care standards set forth in The ASAM Criteria; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would create a special registration exemption for jails, prisons, and their authorized personnel to prescribe and otherwise dispense controlled medications for initiation, maintenance or withdrawal management of OUD that is significantly less burdensome than currently applicable registration requirements in the Controlled Substances Act and related regulations. Such special registration should not limit the number of persons who are detained or incarcerated who can be treated with such medications by a qualified practitioner; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would allow pharmacy dispensing and/or administration of methadone that has been prescribed by a legally authorized prescriber of controlled medications who is affiliated with an OTP or is a board-certified addiction specialist physician; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would make permanent the opioid treatment program (OTP) flexibilities, including the methadone unsupervised dosing flexibilities, implemented during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency while continuing study of the impact of these flexibilities; Assessment of current opioid order systems and monitoring programs to more fully understand the potential negative implications for patient access to buprenorphine at pharmacies and other controlled substance medications used to treat OUD; ; In the absence of Congressional action to eliminate the x-waiver, efforts to increase the DATA 2000 waiver patient limit -- aka, the applicable number; Issuance of regulations relating to a special registration for telemedicine, as was directed in Section 3232 of the SUPPORT Act of 2018. Advocated for the S.834/H.R.2256 Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, which would increase the number of Medicare GME slots by 14,000 over 7 years, including its inclusion in the next reconciliation package Advocated for House Resolution 349, which would support the goals of Overdose Awareness Day by lowering the United States flag to halfstaff on all Federal buildings on August 31st of each year. Advocated for the Support, Treatment, and Overdose Prevention of (S.T.O.P) Fentanyl Act of 2021 (H.R. 2366 / S. 1457). This legislation would expand fentanyl research and education, enhance overdose prevention and access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, and provide critical public health data and additional training support for various stakeholders. Advocated for changes to a draft opioid treatment program bill to make permanent certain COVID-19 flexibilities allowed to states for unsupervised doses, as well as "time in treatment" regulatory changes and to permit pharmacy dispensing of methadone for opioid use disorder treatment for certain experienced cohorts of prescribers Submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlining suggested improvements to the proposed Physician Payment Schedule for calendar year (CY) 2022. Among other recommendations, ASAM urged that CMS work with Congress to avoid a 2.5% cut in reimbursements for addiction medicine (ADM), finalize coding and payment rules for take-home naloxone nasal spray, and extend audio-only flexibility for opioid treatment programs (OTPs) to furnish therapy and counseling payments for substance use disorder (SUD). Advocated for the inclusion of enhanced mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) parity enforcement within the Senates version of the budget reconciliation proposal. These enhanced enforcement measures would authorize the Department of Labor to assess civil monetary penalties against insurers that violate the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. Supported $195 million over five years to the Employee Benefits Security Administration for enforcement. Advocated for the Moms Matter Act (H.R. 909). The Moms Matter Act is a bipartisan bill that would increase federal funding for culturally congruent, community-based mental and behavior health programs. Advocated for H.R 1693 / S. 79, the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act. This legislation would eliminate the federal crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity and apply it retroactively to those already convicted or sentenced. Supported nomination of Dr. Rahul Gupta to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a critical position for coordinating the nations drug policy and response to the nations drug addiction and overdose crisis. Supported the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 2069/H.R. 4323). This legislation would allow for every state and territory the ability to join the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration and would authorize investments in the model for current and prospective CCBHCs. Supported implemented recommendations regarding the CARES Acts amendment of 42 CFR Part 2 to advance further alignment of 42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2) with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations (TPO). Advocated for H.R. 2786/ S. 1314, the Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2021, which would increase the federal excise tax on cigarettes and set federal tax rates for other tobacco products at an equivalent level. Supported the tobacco tax provisions included in the portion of the Build Back Better Act that was approved by the Ways and Means Committee Advocated for passage of the Advancing FASD Research, Services, and Prevention Act (S.2238 and H.R.4151), known as the FASD Respect Act. The legislation would in part reauthorize and strengthen existing federal FASD programs at NIAAA, CDC, and HRSA, and for the first time calls for long-neglected, meaningful support for individuals and families living with FASD. Supported H.R.4244 - STOP Stigma Act, which would make amendments to the names of certain agencies to help end the stigmatization of substance use disorder, and for other purposes. Supported the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) efforts to enhance the exchange of clinical and administrative data through their recommendations to the Secretary but highlighted the important role of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set as serving the needs of a data-driven health system by allowing physicians, patients, researchers, medical groups, allied health care professionals, health systems, hospitals, medical coders, accreditation organizations, payers, and health information technology professionals to easily exchange data on the medical services and procedures provided to patients. Supported draft legislation that would amend the Controlled Substances Act to increase the number of days before which certain controlled substances for maintenance or detoxification treatment must be administered, and for other purposes.

Advocated for Increased appropriations for HRSAs Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. This program provides student loan repayment for addiction treatment professionals who commit to working in underserved or high-risk communities. Advocated for increased appropriations for HRSAs Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program. This Program provides grants to institutions with training opportunities for fellows in addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry who have demonstrated interest in providing addiction treatment in underserved communities Advocated for increased appropriations for HRSAs Integrated Substance Use Disorder Training Program. This program provides grants to expand the number of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, and social workers trained to provide addiction and mental health services in underserved community-based settings that integrate primary care, mental health, and addiction services. Advocated for increased appropriations for federal initiatives that lead to a more diverse addiction treatment workforce, such as scholarships and loan repayment targeting underrepresented minority addiction medicine professionals, including SAMHSAs Minority Fellowship Program. Advocated for the alignment of coverage and payment policies in Medicare and Medicaid with evidence-based and nationally recognized addiction treatment and placement criteria and standards (e.g., The ASAM Criteria). This would include permanent modification to the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion to allow federal Medicaid funds to serve individuals with SUDs in those residential and inpatient settings that are able to demonstrate that patient assessments, clinical services, level-of-care and length-of-stay recommendations are consistent with The ASAM Criteria and that evidence based medication management using Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications are available to patients in such settings Advocated for regulatory/sub-regulatory/application guidance that would require the use of evidence-based practices in the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant, including requiring each grantee delivering SUD treatment services to provide access to all FDA-approved medications for SUDs treated by that grantee. Advocated for a requirement that SAPT, State Opioid Response Grant (SOR), and Rural Communities Opioid Response Program grantees that receive grant funds for the delivery of addiction treatment services should be limited to Medicaid providers in order to better integrate federal grant dollars and Medicaid funds and Administration support for increased oversight and improved mechanisms for ensuring that such funding does not supplant the consistent and scalable funding that Medicaid (or Medicare) provides. Advocated for S 2235/HR 2067 - Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act of 2021: This legislation would ensure most Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) controlled medication prescribers have a baseline knowledge of how to identify, treat, and manage patients with SUD and would allow accredited health professional schools and residency programs to fulfill the training requirement through their own curricula, as well as provide them with resources to do so. Advocated for simultaneous passage of S 445/HR 1384 - Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, which would eliminate the requirement that practitioners apply for a separate waiver through the DEA to prescribe buprenorphine for addiction and eliminate the patient limits on buprenorphine prescribers. Advocated for S 285/HR 955 - the Medicaid Reentry Act: This legislation would allow for reestablishment of health insurance coverage under Medicaid for eligible individuals who are incarcerated, during the 30-day period preceding their release from jail or prison. Advocated for S 1821/HR 3514 - the Humane Correctional Health Care Act, which would repeal the inmate exclusion that bars the use of federal Medicaid matching funds from covering health care services in jails and prisons. Advocated for S1727/HR 3450 - The Medicaid Bump Act of 2021: This legislation would provide an enhanced Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage rate of 90 percent for State Medicaid spending on mental health and substance use disorder services in excess of 2019 levels. It would also require states to use the additional federal funds as a supplement to rather than a replacement for state funding levels, and to use the funds to increase the capacity, efficiency, and quality of behavioral health services, including through increasing provider reimbursement rates; Advocated for Section 9 of S. 1010 - the Turn the Tide Act - These provisions would increase Medicaid fees for addiction treatment services to at least Medicare levels; Advocated for HR 1364 - the Parity Enforcement Act: This legislation would expand the U.S. Department of Labors authority to hold health insurers and plan sponsors accountable for offering health plans that violate the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 or for employing utilization review processes that prove more restrictive for mental health and addiction care than for other medical care in violation of the MHPAEA Advocated for S 340/HR 1674 - TREATS Act: This legislation would make permanent a new, audio-video, telehealth evaluation exception to the Ryan Haight Acts in-person exam requirement, which would allow clinicians to prescribe certain addiction treatment medications, like buprenorphine, to new patients through telehealth. It would also clarify Medicares continued ability, beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency, to reimburse for audio-only, SUD and mental health telehealth services after an in-person or telehealth evaluation. Provided technical assistance regarding a possible audio-only exception to Ryan Haight for initiation of buprenorphine for OUD. Advocated for HR 3925 Reducing Barriers to Substance Use Treatment Act: This legislation would prohibit states receiving Federal funding for medication-assisted treatment under Medicaid from imposing utilization control policies or procedures (as defined by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services), including prior authorization requirements, with respect to such treatment. Advocated for the Administration to support continuous collaboration and sharing of information between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and SAMHSA, which should include new, strategic efforts to provide technical assistance funds to states to support their operation of CMS-approved Section 1115 SUD waivers related to the IMD exclusion and to enhance their care delivery systems for patients. Advocated for the Administration to increase promotion to State Medicaid programs of adoption of two, new sets of bundled G codes to increase or establish payment for outpatient opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment and treatment services provided by opioid treatment programs (OTPs) at Medicare payment rates or higher. Advocated for the Administration to support the following regulatory and administrative efforts that would reduce barriers to accessing addiction treatment: Creation of safe-harbor provisions to the Anti-Kickback Statute and Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act Civil, as they may be applied to the implementation of contingency management (CM) for the treatment of addiction. Approval of a prescription to over the counter (OTC) switch for at least one naloxone product. This change would save lives and reduce existing barriers that prevent access to this critical medication; Regulatory changes that would allow Medicaid reimbursement for the room and board portion of SUD residential levels of care that meet level of care standards set forth in The ASAM Criteria; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would create a special registration exemption for jails, prisons, and their authorized personnel to prescribe and otherwise dispense controlled medications for initiation, maintenance or withdrawal management of OUD that is significantly less burdensome than currently applicable registration requirements in the Controlled Substances Act and related regulations. Such special registration should not limit the number of persons who are detained or incarcerated who can be treated with such medications by a qualified practitioner; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would allow pharmacy dispensing and/or administration of methadone that has been prescribed by a legally authorized prescriber of controlled medications who is affiliated with an OTP or is a board-certified addiction specialist physician; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would make permanent the opioid treatment program (OTP) flexibilities, including the methadone unsupervised dosing flexibilities, implemented during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency while continuing study of the impact of these flexibilities; Assessment of current opioid order systems and monitoring programs to more fully understand the potential negative implications for patient access to buprenorphine at pharmacies and other controlled substance medications used to treat OUD; ; In the absence of Congressional action to eliminate the x-waiver, efforts to increase the DATA 2000 waiver patient limit -- aka, the applicable number; Issuance of regulations relating to a special registration for telemedicine, as was directed in Section 3232 of the SUPPORT Act of 2018. Advocated for the S.834/H.R.2256 Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, which would increase the number of Medicare GME slots by 14,000 over 7 years, including its inclusion in the next reconciliation package Advocated for House Resolution 349, which would support the goals of Overdose Awareness Day by lowering the United States flag to halfstaff on all Federal buildings on August 31st of each year. Advocated for the Support, Treatment, and Overdose Prevention of (S.T.O.P) Fentanyl Act of 2021 (H.R. 2366 / S. 1457). This legislation would expand fentanyl research and education, enhance overdose prevention and access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, and provide critical public health data and additional training support for various stakeholders. Advocated for changes to a draft opioid treatment program bill to make permanent certain COVID-19 flexibilities allowed to states for unsupervised doses, as well as "time in treatment" regulatory changes and to permit pharmacy dispensing of methadone for opioid use disorder treatment for certain experienced cohorts of prescribers Submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlining suggested improvements to the proposed Physician Payment Schedule for calendar year (CY) 2022. Among other recommendations, ASAM urged that CMS work with Congress to avoid a 2.5% cut in reimbursements for addiction medicine (ADM), finalize coding and payment rules for take-home naloxone nasal spray, and extend audio-only flexibility for opioid treatment programs (OTPs) to furnish therapy and counseling payments for substance use disorder (SUD). Advocated for the inclusion of enhanced mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) parity enforcement within the Senates version of the budget reconciliation proposal. These enhanced enforcement measures would authorize the Department of Labor to assess civil monetary penalties against insurers that violate the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. Supported $195 million over five years to the Employee Benefits Security Administration for enforcement. Advocated for the Moms Matter Act (H.R. 909). The Moms Matter Act is a bipartisan bill that would increase federal funding for culturally congruent, community-based mental and behavior health programs. Advocated for H.R 1693 / S. 79, the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act. This legislation would eliminate the federal crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity and apply it retroactively to those already convicted or sentenced. Supported nomination of Dr. Rahul Gupta to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a critical position for coordinating the nations drug policy and response to the nations drug addiction and overdose crisis. Supported the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 2069/H.R. 4323). This legislation would allow for every state and territory the ability to join the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration and would authorize investments in the model for current and prospective CCBHCs. Supported implemented recommendations regarding the CARES Acts amendment of 42 CFR Part 2 to advance further alignment of 42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2) with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations (TPO). Advocated for H.R. 2786/ S. 1314, the Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2021, which would increase the federal excise tax on cigarettes and set federal tax rates for other tobacco products at an equivalent level. Supported the tobacco tax provisions included in the portion of the Build Back Better Act that was approved by the Ways and Means Committee Advocated for passage of the Advancing FASD Research, Services, and Prevention Act (S.2238 and H.R.4151), known as the FASD Respect Act. The legislation would in part reauthorize and strengthen existing federal FASD programs at NIAAA, CDC, and HRSA, and for the first time calls for long-neglected, meaningful support for individuals and families living with FASD. Supported H.R.4244 - STOP Stigma Act, which would make amendments to the names of certain agencies to help end the stigmatization of substance use disorder, and for other purposes. Supported the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) efforts to enhance the exchange of clinical and administrative data through their recommendations to the Secretary but highlighted the important role of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set as serving the needs of a data-driven health system by allowing physicians, patients, researchers, medical groups, allied health care professionals, health systems, hospitals, medical coders, accreditation organizations, payers, and health information technology professionals to easily exchange data on the medical services and procedures provided to patients. Supported draft legislation that would amend the Controlled Substances Act to increase the number of days before which certain controlled substances for maintenance or detoxification treatment must be administered, and for other purposes.

Advocated for Increased appropriations for HRSAs Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. This program provides student loan repayment for addiction treatment professionals who commit to working in underserved or high-risk communities. Advocated for increased appropriations for HRSAs Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program. This Program provides grants to institutions with training opportunities for fellows in addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry who have demonstrated interest in providing addiction treatment in underserved communities Advocated for increased appropriations for HRSAs Integrated Substance Use Disorder Training Program. This program provides grants to expand the number of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, and social workers trained to provide addiction and mental health services in underserved community-based settings that integrate primary care, mental health, and addiction services. Advocated for increased appropriations for federal initiatives that lead to a more diverse addiction treatment workforce, such as scholarships and loan repayment targeting underrepresented minority addiction medicine professionals, including SAMHSAs Minority Fellowship Program. Advocated for the alignment of coverage and payment policies in Medicare and Medicaid with evidence-based and nationally recognized addiction treatment and placement criteria and standards (e.g., The ASAM Criteria). This would include permanent modification to the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion to allow federal Medicaid funds to serve individuals with SUDs in those residential and inpatient settings that are able to demonstrate that patient assessments, clinical services, level-of-care and length-of-stay recommendations are consistent with The ASAM Criteria and that evidence based medication management using Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications are available to patients in such settings Advocated for regulatory/sub-regulatory/application guidance that would require the use of evidence-based practices in the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant, including requiring each grantee delivering SUD treatment services to provide access to all FDA-approved medications for SUDs treated by that grantee. Advocated for a requirement that SAPT, State Opioid Response Grant (SOR), and Rural Communities Opioid Response Program grantees that receive grant funds for the delivery of addiction treatment services should be limited to Medicaid providers in order to better integrate federal grant dollars and Medicaid funds and Administration support for increased oversight and improved mechanisms for ensuring that such funding does not supplant the consistent and scalable funding that Medicaid (or Medicare) provides. Advocated for S 2235/HR 2067 - Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act of 2021: This legislation would ensure most Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) controlled medication prescribers have a baseline knowledge of how to identify, treat, and manage patients with SUD and would allow accredited health professional schools and residency programs to fulfill the training requirement through their own curricula, as well as provide them with resources to do so. Advocated for simultaneous passage of S 445/HR 1384 - Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, which would eliminate the requirement that practitioners apply for a separate waiver through the DEA to prescribe buprenorphine for addiction and eliminate the patient limits on buprenorphine prescribers. Advocated for S 285/HR 955 - the Medicaid Reentry Act: This legislation would allow for reestablishment of health insurance coverage under Medicaid for eligible individuals who are incarcerated, during the 30-day period preceding their release from jail or prison. Advocated for S 1821/HR 3514 - the Humane Correctional Health Care Act, which would repeal the inmate exclusion that bars the use of federal Medicaid matching funds from covering health care services in jails and prisons. Advocated for S1727/HR 3450 - The Medicaid Bump Act of 2021: This legislation would provide an enhanced Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage rate of 90 percent for State Medicaid spending on mental health and substance use disorder services in excess of 2019 levels. It would also require states to use the additional federal funds as a supplement to rather than a replacement for state funding levels, and to use the funds to increase the capacity, efficiency, and quality of behavioral health services, including through increasing provider reimbursement rates; Advocated for Section 9 of S. 1010 - the Turn the Tide Act - These provisions would increase Medicaid fees for addiction treatment services to at least Medicare levels; Advocated for HR 1364 - the Parity Enforcement Act: This legislation would expand the U.S. Department of Labors authority to hold health insurers and plan sponsors accountable for offering health plans that violate the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 or for employing utilization review processes that prove more restrictive for mental health and addiction care than for other medical care in violation of the MHPAEA Advocated for S 340/HR 1674 - TREATS Act: This legislation would make permanent a new, audio-video, telehealth evaluation exception to the Ryan Haight Acts in-person exam requirement, which would allow clinicians to prescribe certain addiction treatment medications, like buprenorphine, to new patients through telehealth. It would also clarify Medicares continued ability, beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency, to reimburse for audio-only, SUD and mental health telehealth services after an in-person or telehealth evaluation. Provided technical assistance regarding a possible audio-only exception to Ryan Haight for initiation of buprenorphine for OUD. Advocated for HR 3925 Reducing Barriers to Substance Use Treatment Act: This legislation would prohibit states receiving Federal funding for medication-assisted treatment under Medicaid from imposing utilization control policies or procedures (as defined by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services), including prior authorization requirements, with respect to such treatment. Advocated for the Administration to support continuous collaboration and sharing of information between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and SAMHSA, which should include new, strategic efforts to provide technical assistance funds to states to support their operation of CMS-approved Section 1115 SUD waivers related to the IMD exclusion and to enhance their care delivery systems for patients. Advocated for the Administration to increase promotion to State Medicaid programs of adoption of two, new sets of bundled G codes to increase or establish payment for outpatient opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment and treatment services provided by opioid treatment programs (OTPs) at Medicare payment rates or higher. Advocated for the Administration to support the following regulatory and administrative efforts that would reduce barriers to accessing addiction treatment: Creation of safe-harbor provisions to the Anti-Kickback Statute and Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act Civil, as they may be applied to the implementation of contingency management (CM) for the treatment of addiction. Approval of a prescription to over the counter (OTC) switch for at least one naloxone product. This change would save lives and reduce existing barriers that prevent access to this critical medication; Regulatory changes that would allow Medicaid reimbursement for the room and board portion of SUD residential levels of care that meet level of care standards set forth in The ASAM Criteria; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would create a special registration exemption for jails, prisons, and their authorized personnel to prescribe and otherwise dispense controlled medications for initiation, maintenance or withdrawal management of OUD that is significantly less burdensome than currently applicable registration requirements in the Controlled Substances Act and related regulations. Such special registration should not limit the number of persons who are detained or incarcerated who can be treated with such medications by a qualified practitioner; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would allow pharmacy dispensing and/or administration of methadone that has been prescribed by a legally authorized prescriber of controlled medications who is affiliated with an OTP or is a board-certified addiction specialist physician; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would make permanent the opioid treatment program (OTP) flexibilities, including the methadone unsupervised dosing flexibilities, implemented during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency while continuing study of the impact of these flexibilities; Assessment of current opioid order systems and monitoring programs to more fully understand the potential negative implications for patient access to buprenorphine at pharmacies and other controlled substance medications used to treat OUD; ; In the absence of Congressional action to eliminate the x-waiver, efforts to increase the DATA 2000 waiver patient limit -- aka, the applicable number; Issuance of regulations relating to a special registration for telemedicine, as was directed in Section 3232 of the SUPPORT Act of 2018. Advocated for the S.834/H.R.2256 Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, which would increase the number of Medicare GME slots by 14,000 over 7 years, including its inclusion in the next reconciliation package Advocated for House Resolution 349, which would support the goals of Overdose Awareness Day by lowering the United States flag to halfstaff on all Federal buildings on August 31st of each year. Advocated for the Support, Treatment, and Overdose Prevention of (S.T.O.P) Fentanyl Act of 2021 (H.R. 2366 / S. 1457). This legislation would expand fentanyl research and education, enhance overdose prevention and access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, and provide critical public health data and additional training support for various stakeholders. Advocated for changes to a draft opioid treatment program bill to make permanent certain COVID-19 flexibilities allowed to states for unsupervised doses, as well as "time in treatment" regulatory changes and to permit pharmacy dispensing of methadone for opioid use disorder treatment for certain experienced cohorts of prescribers Submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlining suggested improvements to the proposed Physician Payment Schedule for calendar year (CY) 2022. Among other recommendations, ASAM urged that CMS work with Congress to avoid a 2.5% cut in reimbursements for addiction medicine (ADM), finalize coding and payment rules for take-home naloxone nasal spray, and extend audio-only flexibility for opioid treatment programs (OTPs) to furnish therapy and counseling payments for substance use disorder (SUD). Advocated for the inclusion of enhanced mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) parity enforcement within the Senates version of the budget reconciliation proposal. These enhanced enforcement measures would authorize the Department of Labor to assess civil monetary penalties against insurers that violate the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. Supported $195 million over five years to the Employee Benefits Security Administration for enforcement. Advocated for the Moms Matter Act (H.R. 909). The Moms Matter Act is a bipartisan bill that would increase federal funding for culturally congruent, community-based mental and behavior health programs. Advocated for H.R 1693 / S. 79, the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act. This legislation would eliminate the federal crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity and apply it retroactively to those already convicted or sentenced. Supported nomination of Dr. Rahul Gupta to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a critical position for coordinating the nations drug policy and response to the nations drug addiction and overdose crisis. Supported the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 2069/H.R. 4323). This legislation would allow for every state and territory the ability to join the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration and would authorize investments in the model for current and prospective CCBHCs. Supported implemented recommendations regarding the CARES Acts amendment of 42 CFR Part 2 to advance further alignment of 42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2) with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations (TPO). Advocated for H.R. 2786/ S. 1314, the Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2021, which would increase the federal excise tax on cigarettes and set federal tax rates for other tobacco products at an equivalent level. Supported the tobacco tax provisions included in the portion of the Build Back Better Act that was approved by the Ways and Means Committee Advocated for passage of the Advancing FASD Research, Services, and Prevention Act (S.2238 and H.R.4151), known as the FASD Respect Act. The legislation would in part reauthorize and strengthen existing federal FASD programs at NIAAA, CDC, and HRSA, and for the first time calls for long-neglected, meaningful support for individuals and families living with FASD. Supported H.R.4244 - STOP Stigma Act, which would make amendments to the names of certain agencies to help end the stigmatization of substance use disorder, and for other purposes. Supported the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) efforts to enhance the exchange of clinical and administrative data through their recommendations to the Secretary but highlighted the important role of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set as serving the needs of a data-driven health system by allowing physicians, patients, researchers, medical groups, allied health care professionals, health systems, hospitals, medical coders, accreditation organizations, payers, and health information technology professionals to easily exchange data on the medical services and procedures provided to patients. Supported draft legislation that would amend the Controlled Substances Act to increase the number of days before which certain controlled substances for maintenance or detoxification treatment must be administered, and for other purposes.

Advocated for Increased appropriations for HRSAs Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. This program provides student loan repayment for addiction treatment professionals who commit to working in underserved or high-risk communities. Advocated for increased appropriations for HRSAs Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program. This Program provides grants to institutions with training opportunities for fellows in addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry who have demonstrated interest in providing addiction treatment in underserved communities Advocated for increased appropriations for HRSAs Integrated Substance Use Disorder Training Program. This program provides grants to expand the number of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, and social workers trained to provide addiction and mental health services in underserved community-based settings that integrate primary care, mental health, and addiction services. Advocated for increased appropriations for federal initiatives that lead to a more diverse addiction treatment workforce, such as scholarships and loan repayment targeting underrepresented minority addiction medicine professionals, including SAMHSAs Minority Fellowship Program. Advocated for the alignment of coverage and payment policies in Medicare and Medicaid with evidence-based and nationally recognized addiction treatment and placement criteria and standards (e.g., The ASAM Criteria). This would include permanent modification to the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion to allow federal Medicaid funds to serve individuals with SUDs in those residential and inpatient settings that are able to demonstrate that patient assessments, clinical services, level-of-care and length-of-stay recommendations are consistent with The ASAM Criteria and that evidence based medication management using Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications are available to patients in such settings Advocated for regulatory/sub-regulatory/application guidance that would require the use of evidence-based practices in the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant, including requiring each grantee delivering SUD treatment services to provide access to all FDA-approved medications for SUDs treated by that grantee. Advocated for a requirement that SAPT, State Opioid Response Grant (SOR), and Rural Communities Opioid Response Program grantees that receive grant funds for the delivery of addiction treatment services should be limited to Medicaid providers in order to better integrate federal grant dollars and Medicaid funds and Administration support for increased oversight and improved mechanisms for ensuring that such funding does not supplant the consistent and scalable funding that Medicaid (or Medicare) provides. Advocated for S 2235/HR 2067 - Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act of 2021: This legislation would ensure most Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) controlled medication prescribers have a baseline knowledge of how to identify, treat, and manage patients with SUD and would allow accredited health professional schools and residency programs to fulfill the training requirement through their own curricula, as well as provide them with resources to do so. Advocated for simultaneous passage of S 445/HR 1384 - Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, which would eliminate the requirement that practitioners apply for a separate waiver through the DEA to prescribe buprenorphine for addiction and eliminate the patient limits on buprenorphine prescribers. Advocated for S 285/HR 955 - the Medicaid Reentry Act: This legislation would allow for reestablishment of health insurance coverage under Medicaid for eligible individuals who are incarcerated, during the 30-day period preceding their release from jail or prison. Advocated for S 1821/HR 3514 - the Humane Correctional Health Care Act, which would repeal the inmate exclusion that bars the use of federal Medicaid matching funds from covering health care services in jails and prisons. Advocated for S1727/HR 3450 - The Medicaid Bump Act of 2021: This legislation would provide an enhanced Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage rate of 90 percent for State Medicaid spending on mental health and substance use disorder services in excess of 2019 levels. It would also require states to use the additional federal funds as a supplement to rather than a replacement for state funding levels, and to use the funds to increase the capacity, efficiency, and quality of behavioral health services, including through increasing provider reimbursement rates; Advocated for Section 9 of S. 1010 - the Turn the Tide Act - These provisions would increase Medicaid fees for addiction treatment services to at least Medicare levels; Advocated for HR 1364 - the Parity Enforcement Act: This legislation would expand the U.S. Department of Labors authority to hold health insurers and plan sponsors accountable for offering health plans that violate the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 or for employing utilization review processes that prove more restrictive for mental health and addiction care than for other medical care in violation of the MHPAEA Advocated for S 340/HR 1674 - TREATS Act: This legislation would make permanent a new, audio-video, telehealth evaluation exception to the Ryan Haight Acts in-person exam requirement, which would allow clinicians to prescribe certain addiction treatment medications, like buprenorphine, to new patients through telehealth. It would also clarify Medicares continued ability, beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency, to reimburse for audio-only, SUD and mental health telehealth services after an in-person or telehealth evaluation. Provided technical assistance regarding a possible audio-only exception to Ryan Haight for initiation of buprenorphine for OUD. Advocated for HR 3925 Reducing Barriers to Substance Use Treatment Act: This legislation would prohibit states receiving Federal funding for medication-assisted treatment under Medicaid from imposing utilization control policies or procedures (as defined by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services), including prior authorization requirements, with respect to such treatment. Advocated for the Administration to support continuous collaboration and sharing of information between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and SAMHSA, which should include new, strategic efforts to provide technical assistance funds to states to support their operation of CMS-approved Section 1115 SUD waivers related to the IMD exclusion and to enhance their care delivery systems for patients. Advocated for the Administration to increase promotion to State Medicaid programs of adoption of two, new sets of bundled G codes to increase or establish payment for outpatient opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment and treatment services provided by opioid treatment programs (OTPs) at Medicare payment rates or higher. Advocated for the Administration to support the following regulatory and administrative efforts that would reduce barriers to accessing addiction treatment: Creation of safe-harbor provisions to the Anti-Kickback Statute and Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act Civil, as they may be applied to the implementation of contingency management (CM) for the treatment of addiction. Approval of a prescription to over the counter (OTC) switch for at least one naloxone product. This change would save lives and reduce existing barriers that prevent access to this critical medication; Regulatory changes that would allow Medicaid reimbursement for the room and board portion of SUD residential levels of care that meet level of care standards set forth in The ASAM Criteria; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would create a special registration exemption for jails, prisons, and their authorized personnel to prescribe and otherwise dispense controlled medications for initiation, maintenance or withdrawal management of OUD that is significantly less burdensome than currently applicable registration requirements in the Controlled Substances Act and related regulations. Such special registration should not limit the number of persons who are detained or incarcerated who can be treated with such medications by a qualified practitioner; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would allow pharmacy dispensing and/or administration of methadone that has been prescribed by a legally authorized prescriber of controlled medications who is affiliated with an OTP or is a board-certified addiction specialist physician; Regulatory (or legislative) changes that would make permanent the opioid treatment program (OTP) flexibilities, including the methadone unsupervised dosing flexibilities, implemented during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency while continuing study of the impact of these flexibilities; Assessment of current opioid order systems and monitoring programs to more fully understand the potential negative implications for patient access to buprenorphine at pharmacies and other controlled substance medications used to treat OUD; ; In the absence of Congressional action to eliminate the x-waiver, efforts to increase the DATA 2000 waiver patient limit -- aka, the applicable number; Issuance of regulations relating to a special registration for telemedicine, as was directed in Section 3232 of the SUPPORT Act of 2018. Advocated for the S.834/H.R.2256 Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, which would increase the number of Medicare GME slots by 14,000 over 7 years, including its inclusion in the next reconciliation package Advocated for House Resolution 349, which would support the goals of Overdose Awareness Day by lowering the United States flag to halfstaff on all Federal buildings on August 31st of each year. Advocated for the Support, Treatment, and Overdose Prevention of (S.T.O.P) Fentanyl Act of 2021 (H.R. 2366 / S. 1457). This legislation would expand fentanyl research and education, enhance overdose prevention and access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, and provide critical public health data and additional training support for various stakeholders. Advocated for changes to a draft opioid treatment program bill to make permanent certain COVID-19 flexibilities allowed to states for unsupervised doses, as well as "time in treatment" regulatory changes and to permit pharmacy dispensing of methadone for opioid use disorder treatment for certain experienced cohorts of prescribers Submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlining suggested improvements to the proposed Physician Payment Schedule for calendar year (CY) 2022. Among other recommendations, ASAM urged that CMS work with Congress to avoid a 2.5% cut in reimbursements for addiction medicine (ADM), finalize coding and payment rules for take-home naloxone nasal spray, and extend audio-only flexibility for opioid treatment programs (OTPs) to furnish therapy and counseling payments for substance use disorder (SUD). Advocated for the inclusion of enhanced mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) parity enforcement within the Senates version of the budget reconciliation proposal. These enhanced enforcement measures would authorize the Department of Labor to assess civil monetary penalties against insurers that violate the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. Supported $195 million over five years to the Employee Benefits Security Administration for enforcement. Advocated for the Moms Matter Act (H.R. 909). The Moms Matter Act is a bipartisan bill that would increase federal funding for culturally congruent, community-based mental and behavior health programs. Advocated for H.R 1693 / S. 79, the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act. This legislation would eliminate the federal crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity and apply it retroactively to those already convicted or sentenced. Supported nomination of Dr. Rahul Gupta to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a critical position for coordinating the nations drug policy and response to the nations drug addiction and overdose crisis. Supported the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 2069/H.R. 4323). This legislation would allow for every state and territory the ability to join the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration and would authorize investments in the model for current and prospective CCBHCs. Supported implemented recommendations regarding the CARES Acts amendment of 42 CFR Part 2 to advance further alignment of 42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2) with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations (TPO). Advocated for H.R. 2786/ S. 1314, the Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2021, which would increase the federal excise tax on cigarettes and set federal tax rates for other tobacco products at an equivalent level. Supported the tobacco tax provisions included in the portion of the Build Back Better Act that was approved by the Ways and Means Committee Advocated for passage of the Advancing FASD Research, Services, and Prevention Act (S.2238 and H.R.4151), known as the FASD Respect Act. The legislation would in part reauthorize and strengthen existing federal FASD programs at NIAAA, CDC, and HRSA, and for the first time calls for long-neglected, meaningful support for individuals and families living with FASD. Supported H.R.4244 - STOP Stigma Act, which would make amendments to the names of certain agencies to help end the stigmatization of substance use disorder, and for other purposes. Supported the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) efforts to enhance the exchange of clinical and administrative data through their recommendations to the Secretary but highlighted the important role of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set as serving the needs of a data-driven health system by allowing physicians, patients, researchers, medical groups, allied health care professionals, health systems, hospitals, medical coders, accreditation organizations, payers, and health information technology professionals to easily exchange data on the medical services and procedures provided to patients. Supported draft legislation that would amend the Controlled Substances Act to increase the number of days before which certain controlled substances for maintenance or detoxification treatment must be administered, and for other purposes.

H. Res. 349 - In support the goals of Overdose Awareness Day by lowering the United States flag to half-staff on all Federal buildings on August 31st of each year H.Res 538 - Bebe Moore Campbell BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month H.R. 586/S. 1543- The STANDUP Act H.R. 588 - Stopping the Mental Health Pandemic Act H.R. 593 - Coronavirus Mental Health and Addiction Assistance Act of 2021 H.R. 654/S. 26 - Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act H.R. 666/ S. 162 - the Anti-Racism in Public Health Act H.R. 721/S. 1841 - Mental Health Services for Students Act H.R. 909/S. 484 - Moms Matter Act H.R. 912 - American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans Mental Health Act H.R. 925/S. 327 - Data to Save Moms Act H.R. 955/S. 285 - Medicaid Reentry Act H.R. 959/ S. 346 - the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act H.R. 1025 - Kids Access to Primary Care Act of 2021 H.R. 1195 - the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act H.R. 1205/S. 2157 - Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act H.R. 1324/S. 467 - Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act H.R. 1331 - the Strengthening Mental Health Supports for BIPOC Communities Act H.R. 1400 - the COVID-19 Health Disparities Action Act of 2021 H.R. 1475/S. 1795 - Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act H.R. 1480 - Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act H.R. 1551/S.584 - Nutrition CARE Act H.R. 1554 - grants for community-based mental health and substance use disorder services H.R. 1587/S. 1731 - Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2021 H.R. 1667/S. 610 - Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act H.R. 1716/ S. 631 - the Covid-19 Mental Health Research Act H.R. 1738/S. 646 - Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Act H.R. 2051/S. 854 - Methamphetamine Response Act of 2021 H.R. 2161/S. 971 - CAMRA Act Support Letter H.R. 2255/S. 1024 -the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act H.R. 2256/S. 834 - the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021 H.R. 2264/ S. 660 - the Telemental Health Improvement Act H.R. 2364 - Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act H.R. 2379 - State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act of 2021 H.R. 2503 - Social Determinants Accelerator Act of 2021 H.R. 2591/S.957 - DUMP Opioids Act H.R. 2611 - Increasing Behavioral Health Treatment Act H.R. 2767/ S. 2144 - the Promoting Effective and Empowering Recovery Services (PEERS) in Medicare Act H.R. 2862 -the Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act H.R. 2874/S. 1576 - Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2021 H.R. 2903/S. 1512 - the CONNECT for Health Act of 2021 H.R. 2929/ S. 157 - The Virtual Peer Support Act H.R. 2955 -the Suicide Prevention Act H.R. 2973 - the Strengthening Americas Families Act (SAFA) of 2021 H.R. 2981, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2021 H.R. 3150/S. 1578 - the Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act of 2021 H.R. 3407/S. 411 - Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness Act MOMMAs Act H.R. 3441 - The Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act of 2021 H.R. 3447 - Permanency for Audio-Only Telehealth Act H.R. 3450/S. 1727, the Medicaid Bump Act H.R. 3541/S. 1810 - Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act H.R.3467 - the Improving Data Collection for Adverse Childhood Experiences Act H.R. 3753/S. 1962 - Parity Implementation Assistance Act H.R. 3755/S. 1975 - the Womens Health Protection Act H.R. 3894 - Collecting and Analyzing Resources Integral and Necessary for Guidance (CARING) for Social Determinants Act of 2021 H.R. 3931 / S. 2069 - Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act H.R. 4026 - Social Determinants of Health Data Analysis Act of 2021 H.R. 4058/S. 2061- The Telemental Health Care Access Act H.R. 4146 - Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2021 H.R. 4151/S. 2238 - FASD Respect Act H.R.4217 - TRIUMPH for New Moms Act of 2021 H.R. 4305, the Crisis Care Enhancement Act H.R. 4351/S. 981 - CARA 3.0 Act of 2021 H.R. 4387/S. 1675 - Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2021 H.R. 4406 - Supporting Medicaid in the U.S. Territories Act of 2021 H.R. 4510 - Health Enterprise Zones Act of 2021 H.R. 4554 - Care That's Fair Act H.R. 4631- Protecting Our Students by Terminating Graduate Rates that Add to Debt (POST GRAD) Act H.R. 4649 - Supporting Underserved Populations by Placing Our Resources in Trusts (SUPPORT) for Mental Health Act H.R. 4770- Evaluating Disparities and Outcomes of Telehealth During the COVID-19 Emergency Act of 2021 (EDOT Act) H.R. 4943 - the Childrens Mental Health Infrastructure Act of 2021 H.R. 4944, the Helping Kids Cope Act of 2021 H.R. 4970 - Rural Medical Residency Expansion Act of 2021 H.R. 5035 - Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act H.R. 5218 - Collaborate in an Orderly and Cohesive Manner Act H.R. 5224 - Preventing Overdoses and Saving Lives Act of 2021 S. 674 - Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act S. 1024 - Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act S. 1902 - Behavioral Health Crisis Services Expansion Act S. 2086/ - Resilience Investment, Support, and Expansion from Trauma Act (RISE from Trauma Act) (Bill # TBD) - LAI Buprenorphine Access Act (No legislation) Amend Section 1834(m) of the Social Security Act to ensure that the Secretary has the tools to transition following the end of the public health emergency and ensure telehealth is regulated the same as in-person services.    (No legislation)_Retain the 3.75% increase to conversion factor for FY 22 and 23 in the MPFS