No Red Tape For Addiction Treatment Act
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill amends the Social Security Act to require all state Medicaid plans to cover at least one formulation of each medication-assisted treatment (MAT) drug for opioid use disorder without requiring prior authorization or imposing dosage limitations. If available, coverage must include a long-lasting injectable formulation. The bill preserves states''' ability to maintain drug formularies consistent with existing Medicaid requirements. States have one year to implement the changes, with extensions available for states that need new legislation. The bill also directs the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) to report to Congress within one year on utilization management barriers to MAT access, including dosing restrictions, age limits, counseling requirements, psychological screening requirements, administrative burdens on clinicians, and other federal and state policies that impede patient access.
Who Benefits and How
Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder benefit most directly by gaining faster access to medications like buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone without bureaucratic delays from prior authorization. Addiction treatment providers and clinicians benefit from reduced administrative burden in prescribing these medications. Pharmaceutical manufacturers of MAT drugs, particularly those making long-acting injectable formulations (such as Sublocade and Vivitrol), benefit from guaranteed Medicaid coverage without prior authorization barriers.
Who Bears the Burden and How
State Medicaid programs bear the cost of mandated coverage without the cost-control tool of prior authorization. The federal government shares this cost through federal Medicaid matching funds. State legislatures may need to pass new laws to comply. The MACPAC commission must conduct and deliver a comprehensive report within one year.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires state Medicaid plans to cover at least one formulation of each medication-assisted treatment drug for opioid use disorder without prior authorization or dosage limitations, and mandates a MACPAC report on utilization management barriers to addiction treatment
Key Policy Areas
Healthcare, Substance Abuse, Medicaid
Primary Purpose
Requires state Medicaid plans to cover at least one formulation of each medication-assisted treatment drug for opioid use disorder without prior authorization or dosage limitations, and mandates a MACPAC report on utilization management barriers to addiction treatment
Policy Domains
No Red Tape For Addiction Treatment Act - Medicaid MAT Coverage
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder
- Addiction treatment providers and clinicians
- Pharmaceutical manufacturers of MAT drugs
- Long-acting injectable medication manufacturers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- State Medicaid programs (coverage mandates)
- Federal Medicaid budget
- State legislatures (implementation requirements)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeRead twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Introduced in Senate
Ms. Hassan (for herself and Mr. Justice) introduced the following …
Impact analysis is available but no clear stakeholder effects identified. View clause-level analysis →
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
This Act may be cited as the No Red Tape For Addiction Treatment Act.
States must provide coverage of at least one formulation of each MAT drug that is not subject to prior authorization or limitations on dosage as a condition of coverage or payment.
Drugs and biological products used for opioid use disorder treatment as described in Section 1905(ee)(1)(A) of the Social Security Act, including long-lasting injectable formulations where available.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology