Statement on House Passage of H.R. 6, The SUPPORT Act

Tom Nickels

Executive Vice President

American Hospital Association

June 22, 2018

“America’s hospitals and health systems applaud today’s House passage of several AHA-supported provisions contained in the bipartisan Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6).

“We are pleased to see overwhelming support for provisions that would: expand the use of telehealth services for substance use disorder; guide improved care for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome; increase the types and capacity of providers offering medication-assisted treatment; cover screening for opioid use disorder as part of the Welcome to Medicare physical examination; allow former foster children to keep Medicaid coverage until age 26 when they move across state lines; and, require states to automatically restore Medicaid coverage to young people post-incarceration.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the Senate to enact these provisions and further refine other elements of opioid legislation moving through Congress.”   

Contact:         Arika Trim (202) 626-2319 atrim@aha.org

Marie Johnson, (202) 626-2351 mjohnson@aha.org

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About the AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.