In response to the growing substance use epidemic that has gripped communities across the United States, legislators have introduced a groundbreaking piece of legislation: the Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. With a staggering budget of $125 billion, this bill prioritizes substance use disorder treatment funding while providing a comprehensive approach to addressing substance use disorders (SUDs), including the ongoing crises related to opioids and stimulants. Over the next decade, the CARE Act is designed to direct these funds into critical treatment, prevention, research, and education programs, creating a multi-faceted strategy to combat addiction across the country.
What is the CARE Act?
The CARE Act’s primary goal is to provide the resources necessary to address the substance use crisis head-on by funding various initiatives. As U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) stated, “The CARE Act gives states and local communities the resources they need to expand substance use prevention, treatment, research, and education to address this crisis head-on and help Wisconsinites in need.” This sentiment reflects the broader aim of the CARE Act—to ensure that states, tribal nations, and localities have the support and funding necessary to offer robust solutions to those affected by addiction.
Substance use disorders affect millions of people across the United States, with opioids and stimulants being two of the most dangerous substances involved in the epidemic. The bill, which builds on previous efforts, including the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, proposes a bold, transformative response to this ongoing public health crisis.
Key Components of the CARE Act
1. Funding for Substance Use Disorder Treatment Providers
One of the core provisions of the CARE Act is the allocation of substantial funds to support both public and private nonprofit treatment providers. The bill aims to ensure that treatment services are available across all regions, including underserved and rural areas. The funding will be directed toward states, territories, tribal nations, and localities, with the possibility of including private, for-profit providers in areas where they are the only available treatment option.
This funding model recognizes that while nonprofit organizations play a crucial role in providing treatment, some areas may have limited access to care, and private entities might be the sole providers in those regions. By including these private entities, the CARE Act ensures that no community is left behind in the fight against substance use.
Substance use disorder treatment funding will be critical in addressing the needs of underserved communities, ensuring that people across the country have access to the care and resources they need for recovery. These funds will help to increase the number of available treatment programs, allowing for a more inclusive approach to tackling the crisis.
2. A $1 Billion Annual Program for Opioid Overdose Reversal Drugs
The opioid epidemic continues to devastate communities across the United States, with overdose deaths reaching alarming levels. To combat this, the CARE Act sets aside $1 billion per year to establish a program specifically focused on purchasing and distributing opioid overdose reversal drugs, such as Narcan. These medications are crucial in saving lives, as they can reverse the effects of opioid overdoses in real-time, offering a critical window of opportunity to save individuals from fatal overdose.
This allocation of funding to make Narcan and similar medications more widely available, particularly to low-income individuals, is an essential step in addressing the opioid crisis. It will ensure that communities are better equipped to respond to overdoses and help reduce the number of preventable deaths linked to opioid misuse. The provision of substance use disorder treatment funding for such programs is vital in curbing the rise of opioid-related fatalities.
3. Expanding Access to Treatment and Recovery Services
In addition to overdose prevention, the CARE Act includes provisions to expand access to comprehensive treatment and recovery services. These services cover a broad spectrum, from prevention and medical treatment to recovery care. The bill calls for funding to help support innovative treatment delivery models and harm reduction services, which aim to reduce the negative consequences of substance use while connecting individuals with long-term recovery resources.
The bill also includes Medicaid expansion for providers who are equipped to treat substance use disorders. By increasing the number of providers who can treat individuals under Medicaid, the CARE Act ensures that those who rely on government assistance can still access the care they need. This expansion is vital, as it addresses the healthcare barriers faced by many individuals struggling with addiction, particularly those who are uninsured or underinsured.
Substance use disorder treatment funding will play a crucial role in fostering these innovations and ensuring that the services offered are both comprehensive and accessible to those in need. The flexibility to support various forms of treatment ensures that recovery services will be effective in reaching a diverse population.
4. Training Health Professionals
The CARE Act also prioritizes the training of health professionals. By creating model standards of care for treatment services and recovery homes, the legislation ensures that individuals seeking help for substance use disorders receive the highest quality of care possible. These standards will serve as a benchmark for providers across the nation, making treatment more consistent and effective.
In addition to these standards, the CARE Act includes provisions to train clinicians, counselors, case managers, and peer recovery coaches to better diagnose, treat, and prevent substance use disorders. This is especially important given the growing demand for trained professionals in the addiction treatment field. As more people seek help, it is critical that the workforce is adequately prepared to meet this demand.
By allocating substance use disorder treatment funding to these professional development programs, the CARE Act ensures that the workforce is not only adequately staffed but also equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to offer high-quality care to those in need.
5. Increased Oversight of Opioid Distribution
To prevent further fueling the opioid epidemic, the CARE Act requires dispensers, distributors, and manufacturers of Schedule II controlled substances, such as oxycodone, to certify that they maintain effective controls to prevent drug diversion. This certification ensures that opioids are distributed in a way that reduces the risk of misuse and diversion into the black market.
Interestingly, opioid treatment programs would be exempt from this certification process, recognizing the essential role these programs play in providing care to individuals who are already struggling with addiction. The penalties collected for non-compliance will be directed toward funding programs established by the CARE Act, further supporting the bill’s objectives.
These changes will help ensure that opioid medications are used responsibly and will provide additional substance use disorder treatment funding for programs that address the systemic issues fueling addiction.
Drawing Parallels with the Ryan White CARE Act
The CARE Act is modeled after the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, which has provided life-saving resources for people living with HIV since 1990. Like the Ryan White Act, the CARE Act seeks to provide emergency funds to localities that are disproportionately impacted by substance use disorders. By using lessons learned from the HIV/AIDS crisis, lawmakers believe the CARE Act can offer a proven framework for addressing the opioid and stimulant epidemics.
“We learned from the fight to end the HIV/AIDS crisis that supporting local decision-making and expanding access to treatment and recovery services is powerfully important,” said U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts). The success of the Ryan White Act in tackling a public health crisis offers valuable insights for addressing substance use, and the CARE Act applies these lessons in a new context.
A Step Toward Behavioral Health Parity
For many years, addiction treatment has been treated as secondary to other health issues, such as cancer or heart disease. The disparity in funding and access to care between addiction and other diseases has been a point of contention for advocates of behavioral health parity. U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-Maryland) highlighted this issue in his statement, noting, “The opioid epidemic has taken hold of communities in every corner of the country. Even still, the treatment between substance use disorder and other diseases such as cancer couldn’t be more different.”
The CARE Act takes a crucial step toward behavioral health parity by ensuring that addiction is treated with the same urgency and care as other medical conditions. Trone continued, “The CARE Act meets the moment by providing crucial funding to not only treat addiction but also prevent the disease in the first place. We must achieve parity in how we treat addiction in America. This bill is a step in the right direction.”
Conclusion: A Transformational Step in the Fight Against Addiction
The CARE Act is more than just a legislative proposal; it represents a comprehensive, well-funded approach to addressing the substance use disorder crisis in America. With a focus on treatment, prevention, and education, this bill provides the necessary resources to make a lasting impact on the opioid and stimulant epidemics.
From funding life-saving overdose reversal drugs to expanding access to treatment, the CARE Act offers a wide range of solutions to combat addiction. By drawing on the lessons learned from the HIV/AIDS crisis, the bill ensures that local communities are empowered to tackle the substance use epidemic in the way that best suits their needs.
As the CARE Act moves through the legislative process, it holds the potential to significantly reshape the landscape of addiction treatment in America, providing hope and healing to millions of individuals and their families who have been affected by substance use disorders.
