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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is among more than three dozen states calling for Congress to remove federal barriers to treating opioid addiction.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes and 38 other attorneys general sent a letter Monday to U.S. House and Senate leaders asking them to pass and repeal laws that they say get in the way of treatment.
"States are on the front lines and are combining all of the resources at our disposal to stop the current crisis,” Reyes said. “Although we have been successful in many ways, there is more that can be done by the federal government."
The states want lawmakers to replace cumbersome, out-of-date privacy rules with the more effective and familiar Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPPA regulation, according to the letter.
“By eliminating the barriers outlined in our letter, Congress can take meaningful, sacrifice reductive steps that will benefit those currently struggling with addiction before it’s too late,” said AG Reyes. #opioidcrisis#utpol#Utah
— Utah Attorney General (@UtahAG) August 5, 2019
They also want Congress to pass a bill that would eliminate burdens on prescribing buprenorphine, one of three drugs used as part of a medication assisted treatment plan.
The states also are seeking repeal of the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Diseases exclusion, which prohibits state Medicaid programs from receiving federal reimbursement for adults ages 21 and 65 receiving mental health or addiction treatment in a residential facility with more than 16 beds.
In 2017, there were more than 70,200 drug overdose deaths in the U.S., according to the letter. More than 47,500 involved an opioid, and more than half of these deaths involved a synthetic opioid such as illicit fentanyl.
