You weighed in once before and we need your voice again – Congress votes TODAY! Please help protect the privacy rights of individuals with substance use disorders.
This afternoon, June 20, the House of Representatives will debate and vote on H.R. 6082, the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act. This bill would expand the circumstances under which medical records relating to substance use disorders could be disclosed without a patient’s written consent.
NAADAC strongly opposes this legislation and requests that you contact your U.S. Representative today to urge him or her to vote NO on this bill. H.R. 6082 is a clear departure from current laws intended to protect individuals’ confidentiality and this bill threatens the integrity of the patient-provider relationship.
We expect the House to take up this bill, with debate, beginning this afternoon.
Why oppose this bill? Here's why recovery organizations, patient advocacy groups, and health policy organizations strongly oppose H.R. 6082:
- The bill is harmful: It would eliminate the SUD patient's current legal ability to consent to disclose his/her SUD treatment information for "treatment, payment, and health care operations" purposes, allowing such information to be disclosed and re-disclosed to health plans, health care providers, and other entities without the patient's knowledge and consent;
- The bill could discourage people from getting SUD treatment: Since the bill's proposed anti-discrimination provisions will not be sufficient to protect people currently using illegal substances from discrimination or protect their patient records from being subpoenaed or seized and used to prosecute them, people might be afraid to get the treatment they need; and
- The bill is unnecessary: Current federal confidentiality law, 42 U.S.C. §290dd-2 and its recently updated regulations at 42 C.F.R. Part 2, support care coordination among providers in electronic health systems and current health delivery models, while maintaining patient confidentiality.
Call Your U.S. Representative TODAY: Please call the U.S. Capitol directly at 202-224-3121 to be connected to your U.S. Representative to urge him/her to oppose H.R. 6082 Click here to find your U.S. Representative.
- What You Need to Say: "As an addiction professional and constituent who lives in the Representatives district, I would like the Representative to oppose the Overdose Prevention and Safety Act, H.R. 6082 during this week’s Energy and Commerce committee markup. This bill would reduce fundamental protections for people receiving addiction treatment by allowing the sharing of patient health information to a wide range of entities without their consent. In the middle of our nation's opioid crisis, H.R. 6082 would prevent people from entering care without feat that their treatment records could be used against them in harmful and discriminatory ways."
Thank you for your dedication to support those in need of addiction and mental health prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support!
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