Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics a bill introduced July 2, by U.S Rep. Paul Tonko is meant to fight an increase in addiction cases nationwide amid the physical and emotional stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic. The measure has Republican backing as well as support in the U.S. Senate, and it would boost funding for addiction prevention, education, research and recovery and would build on previous efforts to to fight drug abuse. The number of opioid overdoses and deaths has sharply increased over the past year. “With the global COVID pandemic continuing to drive unprecedented mental health challenges and a scary spike in opioid deaths, we need to take action now to expand access to safe, proven and affordable treatments and other lifesaving services,” Tonko said. The measure would fund research into non-opioid management efforts, boost access to telehealth services and prevent states from requiring prior authorization for medication-assisted treatment under the Medicaid program. The bill would also end the limit on the number of patients a doctor can treat with medication assistance under Medicaid. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.