Mass. House Dems eye Thursday vote on opioid treatment bill [Video]

Democrats who control the state House of Representatives are preparing to bring forward a wide-ranging opioid and substance use disorder treatment bill later this week.

The House Ways and Means Committee was voting Tuesday morning on a 30-page proposal that covers topics such as insurance coverage of opioid antagonists, recovery coach licensure, and testing drugs to avoid the chances of accidental overdoses.

House lawmakers appeared to have woven together several ideas into one package.

The committee rejiggered a seven-page bill that focused only on licensure for recovery coaches who assist in substance use disorder treatment.

A spokesperson for House Speaker Ron Mariano, D-3rd Norfolk, said the House will take up the new bill on Thursday, one day after the chamber tackles legislation modernizing how state law defines parentage.

Policymakers are searching for additional solutions to protect Bay Staters from a devastating addiction crisis.

Opioid-related overdoses remained near record levels in 2022, fueled largely by the presence of fentanyl and other substances in much of the drug supply.

The House …