Pew Informs Congress on Importance of Addiction Treatment Flexibilities
Bill would reverse progress on access to lifesaving medication for opioid use disorder
The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted a statement to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on April 8 in response to H.R. 5629, a bill that proposes to nullify a February 2024 final rule by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) governing opioid treatment programs—generally the only facilities that can offer methadone treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD).
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, patients were allowed to take home doses of methadone, a medication that lowers mortality by up to 50% for people with OUD. Studies showed that this flexibility reduced travel burdens and helped to keep people in treatment without significant increases in methadone diversion or methadone-related overdose deaths.
Given those benefits, SAMHSA published the rule making the flexibilities permanent and removing other outdated restrictions while continuing to promote patient safety and prevent diversion. In its recent 2027 budget request, the Trump administration stated its intention to continue implementing these provisions that promote evidence-based patient care. Pew strongly supports keeping this regulation in place to allow states the flexibility to provide lifesaving, patient-centered, and clinically appropriate treatment for OUD.
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