Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I stand today in strong support of H.R. 5676, a bipartisan bill centered on protecting Medicare beneficiaries from abusive opioid prescribing, while ensuring appropriate access to medically necessary medications. This bill strikes a balance, which we need. H.R. 5676, introduced by our colleagues--Mr. MacArthur, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Schweikert, Mr. Collins, Ms. Kuster, and Mr. Tonko-- extends an existing authority in the Medicare fee-for-service program to Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans. According to a recent report released by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General, one-third of Medicare part D beneficiaries received an opioid prescription in 2016, costing the program $4.1 billion and representing as many as 79.4 million prescriptions. The report found that as many as half a million part D beneficiaries received high amounts of opioids, with almost 70,000 receiving extreme amounts of opioids, many of them as a result of doctor shopping. For years, the Medicare fee-for-service program has been able to suspend payments to a provider or a supplier pending an investigation of a credible allegation of fraud against the provider or supplier. Extending this authority to the Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans will help bridge the gap in the care of beneficiaries and halt the fraudulent activity that contributes to the opioid crisis.…”