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Committee hears bill to delay adoption of ASAM fourth-edition criteria for substance use disorder placements
Summary
Senate Bill 5361, an OFM-request bill sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra, would delay the required adoption of the American Society of Addiction Medicine fourth-edition criteria for substance use disorder placement from Jan. 1, 2026, to Jan. 1, 2028.
Senate Bill 5361, an OFM-request bill sponsored in the House by Sen. Manka Dhingra, would delay the statewide mandatory adoption of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) fourth-edition criteria for determining medical necessity and placement for persons with substance use disorder from Jan. 1, 2026, to Jan. 1, 2028.
Chris Blake, staff to the committee, summarized the background: since 2020 the Health Care Authority and the Office of the Insurance Commissioner have required managed care organizations and health carriers to use a single standard for medical necessity for substance use disorder treatment, and the legislature directed agencies last year to adopt the ASAM fourth edition by Jan. 1, 2026 unless they found a reason not to. Senate Bill 5361 would extend that transition period by two years.
Sen. Manka Dhingra, sponsor, said that adopting the newest ASAM criteria is best practice because it reflects updated, evidence-based approaches, but described the bill as an Office of Financial Management request aimed at reducing near-term state costs during a constrained budget environment. Dhingra said she “reluctantly” sought the committee’s support for the delay to save money now while planning to implement the updated standards later.
Sherry Sawyer of the Office of Financial Management testified in support, noting the bill was included in the governor’s proposed operating budget and described it as preserving the long-term policy goal of adopting the science while delaying near-term costs. Committee staff and OFM answered procedural questions and closed public comment; the hearing record shows no committee vote on the bill during this session.
Details and record: The ASAM criteria are a clinical placement standard used by agencies and payers to determine levels of care for substance use disorder. Testimony emphasized that the change is a timing and budget decision rather than a policy change to reject the ASAM evidence base.
Next steps: Public testimony concluded and the committee moved on; no formal action on SB 5361 was recorded in the transcript for this hearing.
