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ACAP Letter of Support on OPPS Act House Vote
June 15, 2018
Member
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Sent via Email
Dear Representative:
On behalf of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), I am writing to express our support for H.R. 6082, the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act, and ask for you to vote in favor of the legislation when it comes to a vote on the House floor next week.
ACAP represents 61 member plans in 29 states serving more than 20 million Americans receiving coverage through Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare Advantage D-SNPs, and the Health Insurance Marketplaces. These Safety Net Health Plans, in partnership with our provider networks, are on the front lines of fighting America’s opioid crisis for those with public health coverage. Unfortunately, this effort is made significantly harder because of outdated federal rules that inhibit the ability of health plans and providers within a coordinated care network to share information related to care delivery and management for people suffering with substance use disorders. Because of these rules, found in 42 CFR Part 2, health plans and providers encounter significant hurdles in providing care for people suffering from opioid addiction.
That is why H.R. 6082, the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act, is so important. This bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Representatives Blumenauer (D-OR) and Mullin (R-OK) and which passed with bipartisan support in the Energy and Commerce Committee, will align oversight of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment records with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the purposes of treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. This will allow a patient’s health plan and providers to more readily share information within our coordinated care systems. Safety Net Health Plans strongly support the protection of patient privacy and confidentiality and this legislation will protect patient confidentiality while improving the ability of health plan providers to provide vital health care services to plan members.
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