Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 6, and I thank our ranking member for yielding time to me. There isn't any question that our country is in the midst of a destructive opioid epidemic that claims 142 lives every day. This is a national crisis, and it is our duty as Members of Congress to do everything in our power to stem the tide of addiction and the devastation that this epidemic is causing. It is claiming more lives than were lost in the Vietnam war. They are staggering figures. {time} 0930 H.R. 6 includes policies to expand the number and types of providers who can administer medication such as buprenorphine and naloxone to opioid-addicted patients, and it allows Medicare to pay for opioid treatment programs. That is a very important addition in the legislation. This will help people suffering from opioid use disorder to get access to the critical treatment they need on the day this legislation is signed into law. H.R. 6 also creates a payment structure that incents rather than discourages the use of nonopioid alternatives. I think this is a very important provision in the legislation because it will help to decrease the number of opioids prescribed and keep patients from becoming addicted in the first place. I want to point something out that I believe is deeply troubling, and the ranking member did as well.…”