On May 9 and May 17, 2018, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce ordered 59 bills to be reported related to the nation’s response to the opioid epidemic. Because of the large number of related bills ordered reported by the Committee, CBO is publishing a single comprehensive document that includes estimates for each piece of legislation.
H.R. 5477, the Rural Development of Opioid Capacity Services Act, would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a five-year demonstration to increase the number and ability of providers participating in Medicaid to provide treatment for substance use disorders. On the basis of an analysis of federal and state spending for treatment of substance use disorders and the prevalence of such disorders, CBO estimates that enacting the bill would increase direct spending by $301 million over the 2019-2028 period.