Senators reintroduce bipartisan bill to establish opioid manufacturing fee to fund addiction service

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.

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