Susan Collins: “I rise to introduce the Supporting Seniors with Opioid Use Disorder Act with my colleague from Maryland, Senator Cardin.…”

“I rise to introduce the Supporting Seniors with Opioid Use Disorder Act with my colleague from Maryland, Senator Cardin. I very much appreciate his leadership on this issue. The United States is experiencing an opioid overdose and addiction crisis with devastating effects on communities across the country. The opioid epidemic is claiming the lives of far too many people, with a record 716 Mainers and nearly 110,000 Americans lost in 2022. While many perceive the face of opioid addiction as young, the epidemic harms older adults as well. In Maine, approximately 12 percent of drug overdose deaths last year were among residents age 60 and older. Each and every opioid death is preventable, and more can be done to ensure that the unique needs of older Americans struggling with addiction are not forgotten. In December 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, OIG, identified an urgent need to increase the number of Medicare beneficiaries receiving treatment for opioid use disorder. The legislation we are introducing today would help improve seniors' awareness of, and access to, opioid use disorder, OUD, treatment covered by the Medicare Program. The challenges of the pandemic, combined with the increased prevalence of fentanyl entering our country, have aggravated this national crisis.…”