Senate to clear opioids package this week, next steps unclear

Modern Healthcare: The Senate will likely vote Thursday on its package of 70 bills aimed at reining in the opioids epidemic. But it remains unclear how the Senate and House of Representatives can hammer out the significant differences between their bills as November's midterm elections loom near.

The Senate's package left out several major items passed by the House, including two controversial measures that hospitals badly want: loosening the so-called IMD exclusion to channel Medicaid funds to facilities with more than 16 beds for treatment of opioid addiction as well as rolling back the extra privacy laws protecting addiction patients.

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