The House this week approved legislation aimed at avoiding over-prescribing of opioid painkillers to Medicare beneficiaries along with a handful of other bills seeking to address the broader opioid-abuse crisis in the United States.
Representative John Larson, a member of the Ways and Means Committee, worked with Republican Peter Roskam of Illinois to craft the legislation (H.R. 5716) to require Medicare to work with medical providers to examine how often they prescribe opioids in comparison to other doctors. It also calls on them to address ways to avoid over-prescribing these medications.
“The opioid crisis has ravaged communities in Connecticut and across America. What is often overlooked is that seniors are being prescribed opioids at extremely high rates,” Larson said. “The COMPASS Act is a commonsense solution to help medical providers evaluate their opioid prescribing practices and ensure that Medicare beneficiaries are getting their pain needs addressed in a safe and responsible way.”
