NJAMHAA-FY23-Annual-Report

11 NJAMHAA Annual Report FY 2023 The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, known more simply as the Omnibus Budget Bill (Omnibus), was signed into law December 29, 2022 by President Biden. The Omnibus funds the federal government through federal fiscal year 2023, which ends September 30, 2023. The following bills affecting mental health and substance use treatment service delivery and reimbursement, which have long been priorities of NJAMHAA, with advocacy spanning several years, were included in the Omnibus: • Mental Health Access Improvement Act: Provides for coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare. • Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act: Increases access to medication assisted treatment by eliminating the separate registration requirement for dispensing narcotic drugs in Schedule III, IV, or V (such as buprenorphine). • Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act: Boosts substance use disorder training for healthcare providers and helps standardize prescriber education practices. NJAMHAA’s advocacy also contributed to great wins in funding for mental health and substance use disorder services in the Omnibus. Among the highlights are: Federal Budget and Legislative Wins and Advocacy Substance Use Disorder Services The bill provides approximately $4.9 billion to address opioid abuse, an increase of more than $345 million above fiscal year 2022 levels. This funding includes: • Nearly $1.6 billion to states to address the opioid epidemic through the State Opioid Response Grant program, which is a $50 million increase over fiscal year 2022 • A $100 million increase for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant • $111 million for medication assisted treatment • $80 million to address the needs of children affected by the opioid crisis • $145 million to help affected rural communities combat the opioid epidemic