Two bipartisan bills offered by U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) are part of a newly signed federal law to end the nation’s opioid epidemic.
President Donald Trump on Oct. 24 signed into law the bipartisan, bicameral Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, H.R. 6, which addresses how Medicare and Medicaid address opioids, among numerous provisions.
“As Bucks and Montgomery counties continue to combat opioid abuse and addiction, the bipartisan SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act will boost our prevention efforts, protect our communities, expand access to treatment and recovery services, and crack down on illicit imports of drugs like fentanyl,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said this week.
Included in H.R. 6 are the Responsible Education Achieves Care and Healthy Outcomes for Users’ Treatment (REACH OUT) Act, H.R. 5796, which Rep. Fitzpatrick sponsored on May 15, and the Creating Opportunities that Necessitate New and Enhanced Connections That Improve Opioid Navigation Strategies (CONNECTIONS) Act of 2018, H.R. 5812, which the congressman cosponsored the same day.
H.R. 5796 requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to award grants, contracts or cooperative agreements to qualifying organizations in order to support efforts to curb outlier prescribers of opioids under the Medicare prescription drug benefit and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans, according to the congressional record summary.
H.R. 5812, which Rep. Fitzpatrick helped author, amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to carry out certain activities to prevent controlled substances overdoses, among other purposes, according to the text of the bill.
For instance, Rep. Fitzpatrick pointed out that H.R. 5812 will improve federal support for state prescription drug monitoring programs and provide for the improved collection of substance abuse data.
“While there is still much work to be done,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick referring to H.R. 6, “this bipartisan effort will support families across the nation and make our communities safer.”