The American Society of Addiction Medicine said the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 includes critical substance use disorder care provisions but warned that reduced staffing at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration could hinder its rollout.
On Dec. 1, President Donald Trump signed the bill into law, reauthorizing and revising HHS programs addressing substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
Stephen Taylor, MD, president of ASAM, said reductions in expert staff at SAMHSA raise concerns over how and when provisions will reach addiction medicine clinicians, risking the program being reauthorized “in name only” if the agency is not fully equipped to administer them, according to a news release shared with Becker’s.
The law alone does not resolve barriers to substance use disorder treatment, Dr. Taylor said, calling on Congress to pass additional legislation. ASAM continues to support the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act, which would allow addiction physicians to prescribe methadone through community pharmacies, and the Residential Recovery for Seniors Act, which would expand Medicare coverage for 24-hour addiction care.
