Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5685, sponsored by Representatives John Faso and Peter Welch. I commend my colleagues for their work on this important bill. We know that opioid abuse and misuse is a significant and growing problem in the Medicare population. We know that we need to do more, not only to bring down opioid prescribing, but to make seniors aware of the dangers of opioid addiction and the existence of alternatives. {time} 1730 H.R. 5685 would add educational resources regarding opioid use and nonopioid pain management alternatives to the ``Medicare & You'' handbook, which is mailed to all Medicare households each fall. While this is an important bill, I want to underscore that it is incremental and it is limited. I want to reiterate my continuing concern that while Democrats support working on a legislative package to address the opioid crisis, we must first assure that we do no harm. The Trump administration and Congressional Republicans' efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act would do serious harm to our healthcare system, and to individuals suffering from opioid use disorders specifically. For instance, the Trump administration continues to undermine the individual market by promoting junk insurance plans, such as short-term limited duration health plans.…”