On May 9 and May 17, 2018, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce ordered 59 bills to be reported related to the nation’s response to the opioid epidemic. Because of the large number of related bills ordered reported by the Committee, CBO is publishing a single comprehensive document that includes estimates for each piece of legislation.
H.R. 5808, the Medicaid Pharmaceutical Home Act of 2018, would require state Medicaid programs to operate pharmacy programs that would identify people at high risk of abusing controlled substances and require those patients to use a limited number of providers and pharmacies. Although nearly all state Medicaid programs currently meet such a requirement, a small number of high-risk Medicaid beneficiaries are not now monitored. Based on an analysis of information about similar state and federal programs, CBO estimates that net Medicaid spending under the bill would decrease by $13 million over the 2019-2028 period. That amount represents a small increase in administrative costs and a small reduction in the number of controlled substances paid for by Medicaid under the proposal. (If enacted, H.R. 5808 also would affect spending subject to appropriation; CBO has not completed an estimate of that amount.)
H.R. 5808 would increase authorization levels, but CBO has not completed estimates of amounts. All authorizations would be subject to future appropriation action.
