In late March of 2021, a group of U.S. Senators introduced the third iteration of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA 3.0). Its introduction is a step in combatting the Opioid epidemic which has intensified during the Coronavirus Pandemic. The bill further increases funding and features policy reforms from the initial Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act in 2016.
The bill includes:
- $785 Million in dedicated resources to evidence-based prevention, enforcement, treatment, criminal justice, and recovery programs
- Authorizes new research
- Increases Physician monitoring and education
- Augments availability of MAT (Medication-Assisted-Treatment)
- Expansion of national, state and local-level infrastructure for recovery
- $10 Million in grants to provide high-quality recovery housing
- Payment parity for telehealth services
A summary of CARA 3.0 can be found here
The entire Bill can be found here
What do you think about the bill? Do you think it will pass? Is its proposal enough to help decrease the impact of the addiction crisis we have in America? Is increasing funding for substance abuse treatment the solution?