Ensure availability of MH/SUD medications via telehealth

During Spring 2023, after the COVID-19 public health emergency ended, the Biden Administration released proposed rules that would have returned to restrictive telehealth prescribing rules for buprenorphine, the critical medication for opioid use disorder, and important mental health medications. To receive a prescription for these medications by imposing an in-person medical evaluation requirement following an initial 30-day supply prescribed via telehealth.[1] Such restrictions would significantly decrease access to needed MH/SUD treatments.

For individuals with opioid use disorder, such a requirement would disrupt care for tens of thousands who cannot access an in-person appointment and would make it impossible for countless others to initiate and sustain treatment. This is especially true for rural Americans and those without access to transportation. Recent research demonstrates the effectiveness of prescribing buprenorphine through telehealth.[2]

The Kennedy Forum and Legal Action Center led a letter to HHS and the DEA opposing these harmful rules, which was signed by over 50 other groups.[3] If the Administration believes statutory changes are needed to fully allow for appropriate telehealth prescribing, it should work with Congress without delay to ensure that these medications can be prescribed via telehealth.