[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 164 (Wednesday, October 3, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                SUPPORT FOR PATIENTS AND COMMUNITIES ACT

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, the Senate has just cleared the most 
sweeping package of bills to address the opioid epidemic to date. These 
fresh policies will make a difference on the ground. In my view, there 
are promising ideas dealing with some key important priorities: helping 
people steer clear of addiction from the get-go and knocking down 
barriers that prevent people from getting help when they need it.
  These policies were crafted on a bipartisan basis in practically half 
of the committees in Congress. The Finance Committee passed its own 
bill in June with more than two dozen policies that at least one member 
from each side of the aisle sponsored.
  For example, Senator Bennet led the way on a provision that will help 
root out fraud by requiring prescriptions to be sent electronically 
from doctors to pharmacies. It is too easy to fake a script on old-
fashioned paper and get a bottle of pills, so this policy would make 
electronic prescriptions the norm in Medicare's drug program.
  Senators Brown and Stabenow have important provisions that will help 
make sure new mothers and infants have access to the care and treatment 
they need. Senator Menendez and Senator Scott worked on provisions that 
will help parents get treatment and find smart, safe ways to reunify 
families.
  Since homelessness and addiction often go hand-in-hand, Senator 
Cardin and I have worked on a bipartisan provision that is about 
uncovering innovative opportunities in Medicaid to provide housing-
related supports and services to individuals struggling with substance 
use disorders including for those transitioning out of residential 
treatment and for those who are experiencing homelessness.
  Senators Warner, Cardin, and Thune have also brought forward an 
important provision that would expand access to telehealth services in 
Medicare for older Americans struggling with substance use disorders. 
That will expand this promising technology so seniors who don't live in 
rural areas can also remotely connect with their doctors to get 
substance use disorder treatment. When it comes to ensuring a substance 
use disorder is being correctly managed, frequent and convenient check-
ups can make all the difference in the world.
  These are only a few of the ideas the Finance Committee has been able 
to bring forward in this bipartisan package.
  This legislation represents a measured but important step towards 
ensuring Federal and State policies are working towards a resolution of 
this crisis, not making it worse. I view this legislation as an early 
step in dealing with the epidemic. Nearly 70,000 Americans are dying 
every year due to drug overdoses. This is one of the most serious 
issues of our time, and the work will need to continue, especially when 
it comes to identifying how the crisis began in the first place and 
holding those responsible accountable.
  Congress is going to keep at it until pain policy in this country is 
back on track. I think of how this has progressed as a ``prescription 
pendulum.'' Years ago, when I was the director of the Oregon Grey 
Panthers, I would get calls from the families of older people coping 
with pain. They would say, ``My dad is 93 years old, he's in agony, but 
he can't get a prescription because they say he'll get addicted.''
  More recently, the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction. 
If you broke a bone, came down with a bout of back pain, or had a root 
canal, getting a script for a bottle of opioids became routine. 
Millions of Americans got hooked. No community has been spared from the 
consequences--mothers, fathers, babies, sons, daughters, grandmothers, 
relatives, friends, coworkers--I would challenge any American to claim 
someone in their social network has not felt the effects that opioid 
addiction have had.
  Congress has a responsibility to stay on this issue until no family 
is torn apart just because of a misused or inappropriate prescription 
after an accident, until no parent has to spend day after day wondering 
if they will receive a call that their child has overdosed again, until 
no baby has to spend days or even weeks after they are born recovering 
from opioid withdrawal. The bill before the Senate today will start to 
turn the tide, and I am proud so many of my colleagues supported it.

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