Recently announced was the reintroduction in the U.S. Senate of the bipartisan Life Budgeting for Opioid Addiction Treatment (LifeBOAT) Act. The bill would establish a one-cent stewardship fee for opioid manufacturers and importers for each milligram of active opioid ingredient in a prescription pain pill. The funds collected from the stewardship fee would then be allocated to the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant to support treatment efforts including: establishing new residential and outpatient substance use disorder (SUD) facilities; recruiting, training, and increasing reimbursement for SUD providers; expanding access to long-term residential programs; establishing or operating support programs offering employment services, housing, and other support services; establishing or operating facilities to provide care for babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome; and establishing treatment programs in conjunction with drug courts.
- Ann Tucker