Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 42,000 Americans died from opioid-related drug overdoses in…
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 42,000 Americans died from opioid-related drug overdoses in 2016. That is five times more than the overdose rate in 1999.
As we have heard from countless Members in this Chamber, there is no congressional district that hasn't been impacted by the opioid crisis. No town or city is immune from the devastating impact of addiction, and I hope that the steps we take today are the first of many to address the needs of our communities.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, estimated that in 2016, 11.8 million Americans over the age of 12 had misused opioids in the past year and 3.8 million were currently misusing prescription pain relievers.
But while we are seeing news reports of the devastating toll this crisis is taking on our Nation's young people, it is important to note that our seniors are also suffering. From 2005 to 2014, individuals 65 years and older experienced an 85 percent cumulative increase in opioid-related inpatient stays and a 112 percent cumulative increase in emergency department visits, the largest increase of any age group.
Compared to other age groups, individuals 65 and older have the highest rate of opioid-related inpatient stays in 13 States, including my home State of California.
This crisis is especially acute for the nonelderly Medicare population. In 2015, nonelderly Medicare beneficiaries, or those who qualify on the basis of disability, had opioid utilization rates more than twice that of elderly beneficiaries.
The bill before us, H.R. 6110, contains numerous provisions aimed at improving access to treatment for Medicare beneficiaries suffering from opioid use disorders, including access to nondrug opioid alternatives.
While every alternative will not work for every person, when dealing with a crisis of this magnitude, I believe that we must use every tool in the toolbox.
This bill contains two bipartisan provisions I authored with my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski) for working with me on language that would direct CMS to study barriers to patient access to nondrug alternatives for opioids in chronic care settings.
Studies conducted by the NIH have concluded that alternative treatments, like acupuncture, can be effective in treating conditions like chronic pain. This issue is very important to me, because I have been working to expand access to acupuncture since I first arrived in the California State legislature many years ago. I have heard firsthand what a difference acupuncture can make in the lives of patients.
I remember very clearly when I heard the testimony of a woman who had severe back pain, but did not want invasive surgery and risk possible addiction to morphine.
Instead, she sought acupuncture, and it worked for her. She avoided the risks associated with surgery and certain pain medications.
Furthermore, we know access to physical and occupational therapy also helps alleviate pain and eliminates the need for an opioid prescription.
By asking CMS to examine where barriers to these alternatives exist, we can open the door to more treatment alternatives for beneficiaries.
I am also proud that this bill includes a provision I authored with the gentlewoman from North Dakota (Mrs. Noem) to address the need for more psychologists in the Medicare program. This bill would direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to examine ways for beneficiaries to familiarize themselves with coverage for psychologist services and request a study from the General Accountability Office on the viability of mental and behavioral health services in the Medicare program.
As one of only two psychologists in Congress, I firmly believe that expanding access to psychologist services in Medicare is one of the most important things we can do to improve the mental health of our senior population.
We know that those who suffer from depression or other mental health disorders are particularly vulnerable to addiction. For those who have already taken the incredibly difficult step of seeking treatment, we need to ensure that they have access to the full range of mental health professionals who can support them on the journey to recovery.
H.R. 6110 also contains a number of provisions from my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee. Congress Members Levin and Marchant authored a provision to review certain Medicare payments in outpatient settings to determine whether there are financial incentives in the Medicare program to use or prescribe opioids instead of evidence-based, nonopioid alternatives.
Next, the legislation includes a provision introduced by Congress Members Sanchez and Roskam that would direct the Secretary of HHS to evaluate the extent to which Medicare Advantage programs offer medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, and cover nonopioid alternative treatments not otherwise covered under traditional Medicare as part of a supplemental benefit.
Finally, this bill would also include a provision from Congress Members Danny Davis and Rothfus that would provide grants to federally qualified centers and rural health clinics to help offset the cost of training providers to become certified in dispensing medications for opioid abuse dependence.
While the provisions in the bills before us this afternoon will certainly move us in the right direction, we cannot stop here. For example, the Medicaid program pays for the majority of mental health and substance abuse treatments in this country and, yet, we see multiple attempts by Republicans over the past 4 years to slash this program.
We must maintain protections for those with preexisting conditions so that those who sought treatment for their addiction disorders are not punished for trying to get sober.
We must maintain the progress we have made with the Affordable Care Act and work together to bring down the premiums for American families so that, should they need coverage for mental health counseling or substance abuse treatment, no one is shut out because of how much money they make or what State they live in.
So I hope that today represents the first step, and I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will continue to work with us to invest in prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts all across the country.
I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I am encouraged to see my colleagues on the other side of the aisle turn their attention to this critical issue. But this is not a new problem, and the coverage expansions under the Affordable Care Act have been among the most significant steps the Federal Government has taken to stem the tide of the opioid crisis. And yet, Republicans in Congress and President Trump have actively worked to repeal this landmark law.
The Medicaid expansion and the increased coverage under the individual market have provided millions of Americans access to health insurance, and research has shown that Medicaid expansion States have seen a greater reduction in deaths from opioids than nonexpansion States.
Again, Medicaid is the biggest payer for substance use disorder treatment in this country. We simply can't afford to go back.
As we discuss this crisis today and in the week to come, we must broaden our understanding of the ways in which we, as a Nation, approach chronic pain. That is exactly what H.R. 6110 does.
While there will always be patients who have a legitimate need for these medications, we need to look beyond a system where an opioid prescription is
the automatic default. This means we need to look to alternative methods of treating pain, whether it be acupuncture or physical therapy or a medical device. It means we must examine existing policies that may have inadvertently incentivized opioid prescribing practices.
But as much as we look forward, we must also address the crisis in front of us. So I am thrilled to see provisions in this bill that would study Medicare Advantage plans already doing groundbreaking work in substance abuse disorder treatment.
I am also glad to see that this bill provides direct resources to the front lines in the form of grants for federally qualified health centers to provide additional training for our providers.
I hope that, in the future, we will work to expand access to alternatives, both within the Medicare program and in the broader population, and ensure that no matter where someone lives or what kind of insurance coverage they have, they are able to seek treatment.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6110, and I yield back the balance of my time.
