Whitehouse, Colleagues Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Telehealth Access

Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Mark Warner (D-VA) to reintroduce the Telehealth Response for E-prescribing Addiction Therapy Services (TREATS) Act. The bipartisan legislation addresses regulatory hurdles to accessing telehealth services for opioid use disorder by making permanent the resources that were made available during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The opioid epidemic has taken a heartbreaking toll on families in Rhode Island and across the country," said Whitehouse, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former Rhode Island Attorney General and U.S. Attorney. "There is a bipartisan commitment in Congress to supporting people who are on the long, noble road of recovery by preserving lifesaving recovery support from the comfort and privacy of home."

For years, Whitehouse has led the charge in Congress to fight the national opioid addiction crisis. Whitehouse authored theComprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which is the primary law guiding the federal response to the opioid epidemic. In July, Whitehouse and Senator Grassley introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program, which is part of CARA.

"On behalf of the Rhode Island Governor's Overdose Task Force, we are so pleased to see this bipartisan federal effort that supports our overall goal of improving and saving lives impacted by opioids," said Cathy Schultz, Director of the Governor's Overdose Task Force. "I want to thank Senator Whitehouse and his colleagues for their leadership on this key issue and their continued collaboration as we fight this overdose epidemic together."

"The TREATS ACT allows addiction care to be more accessible for patients," said Dr. Rachel Wightman, Director of Toxicology and Addiction Medicine at Brown Emergency Medicine. "Telehealth options have proven to be a necessary safety net not only for people who are taking the first step to start addiction treatment, but also for established patients already receiving addiction treatment when life disruptions arise such as illness, losing their healthcare provider, or caregiver or work responsibilities that make attending a physical appointment challenging."

In March 2020, early in the Public Health Emergency declared during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) authorized healthcare providers to prescribe medication to treat opioid addiction via audio-only or audio-visual telehealth appointments. This expansion of coverage improved access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), improved retention in care, and reduced risk of overdose. These expanded services are set to expire at the end of this year. This legislation seeks to codify access to these treatment options.

In Rhode Island, deaths from accidental overdoses decreased by over 18 percent last year, from 404 in 2023 to 329 in 2024, according to the Governor's Overdose Task Force.

Additional cosponsors include Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), John Fetterman (D-PA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).