SC Alaska News

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Mark Warner (D-VA) have reintroduced the Telehealth Response for E-prescribing Addiction Therapy Services (TREATS) Act. The bill aims to address regulatory barriers to telehealth services for opioid use disorder by making permanent the resources first made available during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Senator Murkowski highlighted the unique challenges faced by Alaskans, stating, “Over 80 percent of our communities are off the road system in Alaska, which often leaves people to fly hundreds of miles to receive care. Expanded access to telehealth services has proven to be critical in meeting people in recovery where they are. This legislation makes permanent patients’ access to these services regardless of where they call home.”

Senator Whitehouse emphasized the national impact of opioid addiction: “The opioid epidemic has taken a heartbreaking toll on families in Rhode Island and across the country. There is a bipartisan commitment in Congress to supporting people who are on the long, noble road of recovery by preserving lifesaving recovery support from the comfort and privacy of home.”

Senator Tillis addressed recent policy changes that allowed expanded treatment during the pandemic: “The opioid epidemic is one of the most pressing public health emergencies of our time. During the pandemic, temporary flexibilities allowed life-saving opioid use disorder (OUD) treatments, such as buprenorphine, to be prescribed via telehealth. This bipartisan legislation will permanently allow health care providers to prescribe OUD treatments via telehealth as appropriate, and result in expanded access to treatments that are proven to be effective in treating substance use disorders. As the United States continues to experience an unacceptable number of opioid overdose deaths, we must pursue policies that reduce barriers and increase access to care, and I'm proud to work with my colleagues on the TREATS Act, which does exactly that.”

Senator Warner noted how telehealth has changed patient care: “Telehealth has become an essential part of patient care, helping providers reach people where they are, especially in rural and underserved communities in Virginia and across the country. For many, it’s been a literal lifesaver. But the current flexibilities are temporary, and this bipartisan bill would make sure patients can continue accessing the telehealth treatment and resources they rely on.”

Additional cosponsors include Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Fetterman (D-PA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ed Markey (D-MA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Michael Bennet (D-CO).

In March 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency, federal agencies permitted healthcare providers to prescribe medications for opioid addiction through audio-only or audio-visual telehealth appointments. This expansion improved access for patients with opioid use disorder and increased retention in care while reducing overdose risk. These temporary measures are set to expire at year’s end; supporters say this legislation would make those changes permanent.