[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 57 (Thursday, April 14, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H1688]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUPPORT THE TREAT ACT

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, in 2014, 28,000 Americans died from an 
overdose of opioid drugs, an annual total that has quadrupled since 
1999. In Erie County, 11 people die per week from suspected opioid 
overdoses. Yet one in nine Americans with substance abuse problems--
less than one in nine--are currently receiving treatment for their 
disorder. One cause is a cap that limits the number of patients a 
doctor can treat with opioid treatment medications such as Suboxone.
  I have introduced legislation to raise these caps and expand 
prescribing authority to physician assistants and nurse practitioners, 
which is especially important in medically underserved communities. 
When treatment was approved for use in France without patient caps, the 
opioid overdose debt rate declined by 85 percent in 5 years.
  I urge my colleagues to support the TREAT Act, to give professionals 
the tools they need to treat addiction and our families new hope for 
recovery.

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