Today, Congressman John Curtis (R-UT) addressed his colleagues on the House Floor and called for the passage of H.R. 2281, bipartisan legislation to increase access to medication-assistant treatment for those overcoming addiction.

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2281, which is an important bill to help thousands of Americans who struggle with addiction. 

This bipartisan, commonsense legislation would give individuals greater access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to help relieve withdrawal symptoms.

Current law only allows providers to use this treatment once per day unless they have a waiver to prescribe the medication, and less than ten percent of providers have the waiver. This is especially problematic because substance use disorder treatment programs can take days to accept new patients, leaving many individuals unable to gain access to immediate treatment. 

Instead of leaving patients no choice but to return to the Emergency Room or the provider they received MAT from the day prior—or even worse, take drugs again to stop their withdrawal symptoms— this bipartisan legislation puts the individual first and is part of a collaborative approach to combat addiction of all types.

Thank you to my colleagues for your work on this important legislation, and I yield back.”

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