Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness

The #SUPPORTAct will help continue to provide treatment to Americans with substance use disorders (SUD) by focusing on prevention, treatment, and recovery programs and services for SUDs. Reauthorizing this important legislation will help people get access to the treatment they need.

ABHW President and CEO Debbie Witchey was a featured speaker at AHIP’s 2025 Medicare, Medicaid, Duals, & Commercial Markets Forum, which took place on March 25-27 in Baltimore, MD. Debbie spoke in a session, “Prevention in Behavioral Health.” ABHW member Caroline Carney, MD, President, Behavioral Health and Chief Medical Officer at Magellan Health, was also a speaker. Learn more about the forum: https://buff.ly/KJ4fil4.

Medications like buprenorphine are essential for treating opioid use disorder, yet fewer than 1 in 5 people receive this medication. We are grateful to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for their recent rule that allows providers to tele-prescribe a six-month supply of buprenorphine. The ability to tele-prescribe buprenorphine will improve access and remove obstacles to care.

Important Webinar Alert! Join the CHIME Opioid Action Center Task Force on Thursday, April 10 at 1:00 PM ET for an exclusive webinar: Navigating 42 CFR Part 2: Evolving Healthcare IT Practices for SUD Data Sharing and Improving Patient Care. ? In this live session, we’ll dive deep into key regulatory changes impacting the opioid crisis and discuss actionable strategies to enhance patient care and data sharing in healthcare IT. Don’t miss this opportunity to stay ahead and make a difference in the fight against opioid addiction! ? Our incredible lineup of speakers:? ?? Janet Desroche Associate Vice President, MEDITECH (Moderator) ?? Elizabeth Amato, Chief Executive Officer, HealtheConnections ?? Meaghan Gilmore, MPH, Vice President Government Affairs, Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW) ?? Josh Longiaru, IT Director, United Services, Inc. ?? Jason Touhey Medical Director of Informatics/CMIO, Berkshire Health ?? Corey Zeigler, MBA, FACHE, LCHIME, CDH-E, CHCIO Zeigler, Chief Information Officer, Helio Health, Inc. ?? Register Now: https://lnkd.in/gAquJgYA ? #OpioidCrisis #HealthIT #Webinar #42CFRPart2 #AddictionTreatment

The U.S. is in the middle of an opioid public health emergency, with substance use disorders (SUD) affecting nearly 50 million people aged 12 and older within the past year. Yet only 1 in 5 individuals with an SUD receive treatment. Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native people have the highest overdose death rates and limited access to treatment. Reauthorizing the #SUPPORTAct will strengthen access to life-saving treatment.

We urge Congress to support the passage of the Telehealth Expansion Act of 2025 (H.R. 1650/S.763). This bill will make permanent access to pre-deductible telehealth services under high-deductible health plans. Allowing pre-deductible telehealth services has helped millions of Americans access essential care, including mental and behavioral health services. We urge policymakers to pass this bill now.

Access to quality mental health services should not come with additional barriers. The Medicare in-person requirement creates unnecessary difficulty for those seeking mental health treatment, a burden not imposed on other medical conditions or substance use disorders. Congress must act before March 31, 2025, to prevent this in-person mandate from going into effect.

ABHW’s Maeghan Gilmore and Georgia Scott joined policymakers and experts today for an important congressional briefing on overdose prevention. The discussion covered the latest updates on the overdose crisis, progress made, and the path forward for bipartisan collaboration. Co-hosted by the Congressional Addiction Treatment and Recovery Caucus, the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, and the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, the event brought together key stakeholders to discuss the current state of the crisis and needed policy solutions.

ABHW supports the reauthorization of the #SUPPORTAct as it is critical to effectively address substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions. The SUPPORT Act will continue to embrace prevention, treatment, and a pathway to recovery. We ask that Congress work together to pass this important legislation to advance our collaborative efforts to prevent and treat substance use disorders.

The Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW) strongly supports mental health and substance use disorder parity and was a leader in the passage of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (#MHPAEA) of 2008.