HHS Seeks Public Input on Addiction Recovery Strategy
Published Date: 6/10/2026
Notice
Summary
HHS wants your ideas on how to better fight addiction and mental illness as part of the Great American Recovery Initiative. They’re looking for smart research and programs that work, aiming to improve prevention, treatment, and recovery without needing new money. If you have thoughts, send them by July 5, 2026, to help shape the future of health for millions affected by addiction.
Analyzed Economic Effects
10 provisions identified: 8 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Hepatitis C elimination pilot: $98M for 16,000 people
SAMHSA awarded $98 million for the Hepatitis C Elimination Initiative Pilot (Hep C Free) and anticipates the program will serve an estimated 16,000 Americans in FY 2026 to prevent, treat, and cure Hepatitis C among individuals with addiction and/or serious mental illness.
More coordination for Medicaid behavioral health
HHS, CMS, SAMHSA, and ACF issued joint guidance to improve coordination between state Medicaid, substance use, mental health, and child welfare agencies with a focus on youth mental health, substance use prevention, and early intervention.
SAMHSA ends grant-funded harm reduction supports
SAMHSA issued guidance and grant terms to end support for harm reduction activities that it says facilitate illegal drug use (including provision of syringes and drug paraphernalia) while continuing support for medications for opioid use disorder and opioid overdose reversal medications.
Title IV‑E funds can help pay for OUD medications
ACF and SAMHSA developed a new option allowing states to leverage federal Title IV‑E prevention funding as the payer of last resort to support access to FDA‑approved medications for opioid use disorder to help address the opioid crisis and support families when children are at imminent risk of entering foster care.
STREETS Initiative: $100M for homelessness & recovery
HHS announced the $100 million STREETS Initiative to fund 8 localities to transform homelessness service systems, focusing on accountability and connecting homeless people to care for addiction and serious mental illness, and moving away from practices described as harm reduction and housing first.
SAMHSA recovery housing supplemental funding
In September, SAMHSA awarded more than $45 million in new supplemental funding to State Opioid Response (SOR) recipients with a focus on sober housing and recovery support for young adults.
Assisted Outpatient Treatment funding: $10M
SAMHSA will release a funding opportunity providing $10 million in new funding for Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) to expand civil‑commitment pathways, community‑based treatment, and step‑down services for individuals with serious mental illness, including homeless individuals.
FDA guidance to expand non-opioid pain options
The FDA issued guidance in September 2025 to expand development of non-opioid analgesics for chronic pain, addressing indications, trial design, patient populations, and outcomes to curb misuse and increase non-opioid treatment options.
Behavioral health records integrated with HIPAA
HHS aligned certain 42 CFR part 2 requirements with HIPAA and HITECH to enhance integration of behavioral health information with other medical records, established a public complaint process for Part 2 violations, requires breach notifications for Part 2 records, and implements civil enforcement authority including potential civil money penalties.
HRSA rural opioid response: $145M for rural areas
HRSA's Rural Communities Opioid Response Program invested $145 million to support more than 200 active grant recipients covering 2,000 rural counties in 47 states and 2 territories and serves approximately 2 million rural residents annually, expanding prevention, treatment, and recovery services in rural communities.
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