Grassley Presses HHS, CMS on Federal Strategies to Combat Opioid Abuse

Statement

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today pressed both the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on their progress and strategy to combat opioid misuse and abuse in federal healthcare programs.

"We've made progress at the federal level combatting the opioid crisis. I worked on the big legislative efforts in 2016 and in 2018 to shore up resources and programs to fight this problem. Both bills are now law. But it remains for Congress to ensure the laws are carried out and that the executive branch is also doing all it can to follow through and prevent more Americans from falling victim to addiction," Grassley said.

In a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma, Grassley seeks information about CMS efforts to implement the recommendations presented in a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report and whether CMS disagrees with any of those recommendations. Grassley also requests information on the progress for implementing safety practices aimed at reducing misuse, such as protocols regarding the over-prescription of opioids and for patients who "doctor shop" to secure more medication.

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