Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation. I thank my colleagues and friends, Representative Guthrie and Representative Kuster, for their work on the Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act.

As you may know, I serve as co-chair of the Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus, or better known as the ATR Caucus.

The ATR Caucus is a bipartisan group of over 70 members committed to advancing bipartisan solutions to the country's multifaceted addiction crisis. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the caucus, the first in Congress to recognize that addiction, indeed, is a disease.

As a longtime champion for those facing addiction, I am all too familiar with the devastating impact of the disease for individuals, their families, and their communities. This is a loss many of us know too well--the loss of a daughter, a son, a father, a mother, a sister, or brother. The loss of a neighbor dying much too young and leaving behind a grieving family and communities being ripped apart by poison seemingly beyond their control.

Last year, in our Nation, there was an estimated 109,680 overdose deaths. That is 109,680 lives lost.

Let's think of how many people that is every day needlessly dying and having their lives cut so short. Think of the magnitude of all those impacted by those 109,680 loved ones. For each of those individuals, there is a whole universe of friends, of family, and, of course, communities impacted.

As we consider the SUPPORT Act reauthorization, let me share that clearly there are some good policies we are moving forward. I am glad that we are reauthorizing several programs that have been successful. I am pleased that we are including my Extending Access to Addiction Treatment Act that I was proud to work on with my friend, Representative Armstrong.

As you may know, medication-assisted treatment for addiction significantly reduces the risk of overdose death. However, despite the effectiveness, approximately 87 percent of individuals with opioid use disorder who may benefit from lifesaving medication-assisted treatment simply do not receive it.

My Extending Access to Addiction Treatment Act makes permanent the requirement that Medicaid provide coverage for addiction medication for Americans who need it. I also think we are taking a step in the right direction by requiring States to suspend rather than terminate coverage of Medicaid for justice-involved individuals making it easier to restart those benefits upon release.

We also include a provision to allow pregnant incarcerated individuals who are being detained pretrial to maintain their Medicaid coverage. I fully support the legislation and remind everyone that we have a lot more work to do in order to take the necessary steps to address the deep need of this crisis.

We all know the scale of the devastating disease of addiction. We also know that our justice system is a revolving door for those struggling with addiction and mental health issues. Over one-half of people in State prisons and two-thirds of individuals in jails have substance use disorder, or SUD.

To truly address it, I urge us to take bold action and move forward as soon as possible with the Reentry Act and the Due Process Continuity of Care Act. By allowing inmates to receive addiction treatment and other services before returning home, my Reentry Act would bring targeted treatment to those at the highest risk of overdose.

The Reentry Act would be a game changer for reducing overdose deaths and suicides by allowing all States to provide prerelease care to Medicaid-eligible individuals up to 30 days prior to release from incarceration.

The Due Process Continuity of Care Act would make certain that pretrial detainees are not kicked off Medicaid prior to even being found guilty of a crime.

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Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, we know the human cost of inaction. To be precise, last year it was 109,680 lives we lost. Is that a cost we are willing to bear?

With that in mind, our work is not done, and I hope we can find the will to truly meet the moment.

This legislation is a good step forward, but it is not the end of the road. Again, this disease of despair requires hope, and we can provide that hope to the individuals who look to us to be the agents of that hope.

Mr. Speaker, again, I would urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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