Two Fitzpatrick-supported bills make it into House anti-opioid consensus legislation

The U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 28 approved two bipartisan measures supported by U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) in a resolution to sweeping consensus legislation aimed at ending the nation’s opioid crisis.

“As communities across Bucks and Montgomery County continue to deal with the crisis of opioid abuse and addictions, we are targeting key facts of the opioid epidemic to boost our prevention efforts, protect our communities, expand access to treatment and recovery services, and crack down on illicit imports of drugs like fentanyl,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick.

The House on Friday approved, 393-8, a resolution to the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, H.R. 6, which would make several changes to state Medicaid programs to address opioid and substance use disorders; would alter Medicare requirements to address opioid use; and would address myriad opioid-related issues, according to the congressional record summary.

The legislative compromise on H.R. 6, finalized earlier last week, now heads back to the U.S. Senate for a final vote.

H.R. 6 includes the Responsible Education Achieves Care and Healthy Outcomes for Users’ Treatment (REACH OUT) Act of 2018, H.R. 5796, which Fitzpatrick sponsored and introduced on May 15. The legislation would require the Centers for Medicare & 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. Supporting the measure were U.S. Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) and Mike Thompson (D-CA), among others.

“The REACH OUT Act will ensure that our medical professionals possess the latest tools for preventing prescription abuse, including non-opioid pain management,” the congressman said. “By facilitating outreach to outlier opioid prescribers, the REACH OUT Act seeks to educate physicians on their prescribing behaviors without limiting their ability to deliver patient care. It will be an effective step towards reducing the amount of unnecessary prescription opioids in communities across the nation.”

H.R. 6 also includes the Creating Opportunities that Necessitate New and Enhanced Connections That Improve Opioid Navigation Strategies (CONNECTIONS) Act of 2018, H.R. 5812, a bipartisan bill also introduced on May 15 that was authored by Fitzpatrick, and U.S. Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ).

H.R. 5812 would improve federal support for state prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) by authorizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award grants and provide assistance to state or local governments, according to a summary from the lawmaker’s office.

Rep. Fitzpatrick noted last week that he supports states fully utilizing PDMPs to track controlled-substance purchases. And he said H.R. 5812 “would strengthen PDMPs as they examine the best ways to prevent prescription drug abuse.”

“I look forward to seeing both of these measures signed into law,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick.

Once the final H.R. 6 package receives Senate approval, which is expected soon, the bill will be sent to the president’s desk to be signed into law.