Senate Passes the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025

On September 18th, the U.S. Senate passed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 2483) by unanimous consent. This bipartisan legislation, led by sponsors Representatives Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), continues funding for substance use disorder and overdose prevention services across the full continuum of care–prevention, treatment, and recovery through fiscal year 2030. The bill passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 366 to 57 in June 2025. The bill is now headed to the President’s desk for passage into law.

The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (PL 115-271) was originally signed into law in 2018. The legislation improves access to medications for addiction treatment (MAT), expands treatment services provided through Medicare and Medicaid, ends patient brokering, and enhances law enforcement efforts.

Key programs and provisions in the bill include the extension of: 

• Programs to support the monitoring and education of infections commonly associated with illicit drug use;  

• Prescription drug monitoring programs; 

• Overdose prevention programs; 

• Support programs for families impacted by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder; 

• Residential treatment recovery services for pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorder; 

• Professional training programs for the mental health workforce; 

• Trauma support and mental health services in schools; 

• A national peer-run training and technical assistance center for addiction recovery support; 

• Programs for first responders to reverse overdoses; 

• Substance use disorder prevention and recovery programs for youth; 

• Comprehensive centers that provide a full spectrum of treatment and recovery support services for individuals with opioid use disorder;

• Reporting mechanisms to protect the 9-8-8 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline from cyber security incidents;

• The Interagency Task Force on Trauma-Informed Care identifies, evaluates, and makes recommendations on best practices for children who experience trauma;

• Greater opportunities for people in recovery to reenter the workforce; and

• A loan repayment program for the substance use disorder treatment workforce.

Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, spoke on the passage of the legislation:

 “The opioid and mental health crisis is tearing apart families,” said Dr. Cassidy. “The SUPPORT Act equips communities with vital tools to combat this scourge and save lives. I’m grateful to my colleagues for their work to pass this bill and look forward to it being signed into law.” 

“This country is facing devastating substance abuse and mental health crises. It is absolutely unacceptable that more than 100,000 people in America died from overdoses last year – nearly 70% involving fentanyl and other deadly synthetic opioids. That is a national tragedy,” said Senator Sanders.