WASHINGTON, DC - Today, House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) and Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX), along with Subcommittee on Health Ranking Member Sandy Levin (D-MI) and Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL), released a white paper with solutions to combat the opioid epidemic.
This white paper is the result of feedback the Committee received following a Request for Information (RFI) that was sent in February to key stakeholders asking for recommendations lawmakers and the Administration may consider to prevent and treat opioid abuse and dependence in the Medicare program. This RFI yielded robust feedback from 110 stakeholders.
Upon releasing the white paper, Ranking Member Neal said:
“People of all ages suffer from opioid addiction, and we must make sure every American has access to the treatment they need. Specifically, we must make it a top priority to ensure Medicare covers opioid treatment programs. This bipartisan report highlights a number of actions Congress can take to provide valuable tools that help us combat the opioid epidemic and save lives."
Chairman Brady added:
“Combating - and ultimately defeating - the opioid epidemic is an all-hands-on-deck effort. We have a duty to ensure that the over 42 million Americans who receive prescriptions through the Medicare program are not going to fall victim to this devastating crisis. This white paper outlines next steps and potential legislative and regulatory solutions so that our families and communities no longer have to see so many of our loved ones suffer through this epidemic any longer."
Recommendations from stakeholders in the white paper include:
• Improve treatment and reimbursements, including increasing access to Medication Assisted Treatment, utilization and access to non-opioid treatments of pain, as well as modernizing reimbursement and quality measures;
• Utilize tools to prevent overprescribing and abuse, including Part D lock-in, limiting prescriptions, and better data tracking; and
• Enhance screening for opioid use disorders, provider education and communication, and patient education.
