1. Gabrielle de la Guéronnière, Legal Action Center September 27, 2017
Opportunities to Leverage Policy to Support Early Substance Use Identification and Interventions for Adolescents
Gabrielle de la Guéronnière,
Legal Action Center
September 27, 2017

2. Recent laws to reform health coverage and access to care
The Federal Policy Landscape: Opportunities to Improve Access to Preventative Adolescent Substance Use Services
Recent laws to reform health coverage and access to care
The Affordable Care Act
Coverage expansions
Required coverage of SUD and MH benefits at parity
Initiatives aimed at improving service delivery, supporting integrated care and preventing chronic disease/promoting wellness
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act
Focus has been on improving access to SUD and MH treatment but importance of leveraging the law to improve coverage and access to preventive services
Implementing and enforcing the Parity Act for commercial insurance and Medicaid

3. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act
The Federal Policy Landscape: Opportunities to Improve Access to Preventative Adolescent Substance Use Services
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act
Review of state EPSDT coverage policies to determine whether states cover a comparable array of preventative SU services
Need for clear, transparent, publicly available information about SU services covered
Importance of state direction and guidance on recommended evidence-based screening instruments, appropriateness of using certain screens with different age groups, recommended schedule for screenings and age to start, and related standards or guidelines.
Potential for financing strategies to incentivize use of SBIRT

4. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act
The Federal Policy Landscape: Opportunities to Improve Access to Preventative Adolescent Substance Use Services
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act
Opportunities for additional preventative SU interventions to be covered
Preventive services covered in other areas of health that could be analogous to brief SU interventions include: nutrition counseling, follow- up re: exercise, sexual health, mental health (depression), health education, speech therapy/occupational therapy
Importance of states and plans conducting a thorough review of the preventative services they cover (for SU and other areas of health) and bringing their SU coverage into compliance with the final Parity Act regulations

5. The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act The CURES Act
The Federal Policy Landscape: Opportunities to Improve Access to Preventative Adolescent Substance Use Services
Initiatives and funding streams created to better respond to the opioid crisis
Emphasis on health care provider education and training, focus on early intervention
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act
The CURES Act
Work by the White House Opioid Commission and potential next steps

6. Questions and Discussion
Gabrielle de la Guéronnière, Legal Action Center
ext. 301