Ayotte: Opioid Bill Would Mean More And Better Treatment In N.H.

  US Senator Kelly Ayotte says a bill in Congress to address opioid abuse could provide a big boost to treatment and prevention efforts in New Hampshire. 

Ayotte is one of a group of senators who have worked for several years on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, or CARA.

She says a provision to allow nurses and physician assistants to treat addicts with medication will mean more options for treatment in a state where access has been an issue.

"There's a cap in place right now on how much medication-assisted treatment can be given out," Ayotte says. 

If passed and funded, the measure would provide about $468 million towards treatment, more than double what was available two years ago but about half of what President Obama requested.

The Senate moved the bill forward Wednesday morning by a 90 to 2 vote; the House passed the measure last week with little opposition.

CARA faces a final vote in the Senate before heading to the president.

Update: this article has been updated to remove an incorrect statement about CARA's effect on a federal cap on medication-assisted treatment, or MAT. According to Sen. Ayotte's office, the legislation does not change the cap but does expand access to MAT by expanding which medical providers can prescribe it.