This week in Washington: Senate in recess, conversations continue on infrastructure and administration’s health initiatives.

Bipartisan Bill to Alter Language on Substance Use Disorder Agencies and Programs
On June 29, Reps. David Trone (D-MD) and Lisa McClain (R-MI) introduced the Stopping Titles that Overtly Perpetuate (STOP) Stigma Act, which would change the name of several federal agencies and programs with the objective of decreasing stigma surrounding substance use disorder. The bill text can be found here. A summary of the bill can be found here.

Rep. Trone Introduces CARA 3.0 Act
On July 1, Rep. David Trone (D-MD) introduced the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 3.0 Act. The bill aims to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the addiction epidemic by dedicating resources to prevention, education, research, treatment and recovery. The bill would build on the original CARA Acts of 2016 and the CARA 2.0 Act of 2018. The bill was cosponsored by Reps. Annie Kuster (D-NH), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Tim Ryan (D-OH), David McKinley (R-WV), Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Dave Joyce (R-OH). A Senate version of the bill was introduced in March. The bill text can be found here. A summary of the bill can be found here.

Rep. Suozzi Introduces Bill to Create a Long-Term Care Insurance Program
On July 1, Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) introduced the Well-Being Insurance for Seniors to be at Home (WISH) Act, which would create a public-private partnership to provide long-term care insurance for older Americans who want to receive care at home instead of in a care facility. The bill would create a Long-Term Care Insurance Trust Fund and enable private insurance companies to offer affordable coverage plans for the initial years of potential disability. The proposed changes in the bill would be paid for by workers’ social insurance contributions equivalent to 0.3 percent of wages. The bill text can be found here. A summary of the bill can be found here.

Reps. Introduce Bill to Increase Mental and Behavioral Health Care Resources for the IHS
On July 1, Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Raul Ruiz (D-CA) and Sens. Tina Smith (D-MN) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the Native Behavioral Health Access Improvement Act. The bill would create a special behavioral health program within the Indian Health Services (IHS). The bill text can be found here, and a summary of the bill can be found here.

Read more on healthcare policy in McGuireWoods Consulting’s Washington Healthcare Update.