[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5663]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]





                     BREAKING ADDICTION TO OPIOIDS

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4981, the Opioid 
Use Disorder Treatment Expansion and Modernization Act.
  Like the TREAT Act, which I introduced, this bill would allow 
qualified physician assistants and nurse practitioners to prescribe the 
medical treatment patients need to break their addiction to opioids. 
Utilizing these healthcare professionals is crucial to combat this 
epidemic, especially in medically underserved areas.
  The bill would also increase the number of patients that physicians 
can prescribe Suboxone to from 100 to 250 per year. This is a step in 
the right direction. But there is no cap on the prescription of 
opioids, and it is counterproductive to cap treatment for opioid 
addiction.
  The TREAT Act would eliminate this cap. The Senate Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor & Pensions has reported out a version with an 
annual cap of 500 patients. I urge my colleagues to support the Senate 
position so that more Americans can access this lifesaving treatment.
  I thank the sponsors of this bill, Mr. Bucshon and Mr. Tonko, and the 
Senate sponsor of the TREAT Act, Ed Markey, for their work on this 
important initiative.

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