Ayotte Statement on Administration's Plan to Address Opioid Abuse Epidemic

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte released the following statement today regarding the administration's new plan to combat the heroin and prescription opioid abuse epidemic. The White House's announcement coincides with Congress' joint negotiation of bills to address this crisis, including the Senate-passed Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA).

"As I helped introduce and continue to lead efforts to enact the Comprehensive Addition and Recovery Act to combat the heroin and prescription opioid abuse epidemic, I am encouraged by the administration's efforts focusing on treatment, prevention, and recovery - areas where I have urged my colleagues in both chambers to focus as we work towards final passage," said Senator Ayotte.

Ayotte has continually advocated for lifting the cap on access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and most recently sent a bipartisan letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell urging her to take into account the patient cap called for by the Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment (TREAT) Act when finalizing the MAT rule. In addition, Ayotte has repeatedly urged HHS to not consider for reimbursement purposes questions related to pain management, a current requirement under law that may be contributing to higher rates of prescribing opioid pain relievers. In May, she cosponsored the bipartisan Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing Act that would remove pain-related questions from being taken into consideration for reimbursement purposes. She has also written to Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Andy Slavitt to express concerns with the unintended consequences of patient satisfaction surveys as it relates to the opioid abuse crisis.

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