Senator Collins Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Promote Alternatives to Prescription Opioids

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) co-sponsored the Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (NOPAIN) Act. The legislation aims to address barriers to non-opioid pain management for those enrolled in Medicare, which will help increase alternatives to opioids for treating patients and stem the opioid epidemic across the nation.

“Our nation’s opioid epidemic has devastated far too many families and communities across the country. Health care providers play a critical role in ensuring older adults’ pain is managed while reducing the risk for addiction,” said Senator Collins. “This bipartisan legislation would increase patient and provider access to safer alternatives to opioid treatments, such as over-the-counter drugs and physical therapy.”

Under current law, hospitals receive the same payment from Medicare regardless of whether a physician prescribes an opioid or a non-opioid. The NOPAIN Act would change this policy by directing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide separate Medicare reimbursement for non-opioid treatments used to manage pain in both the hospital outpatient department (HOPD) and the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) settings.

Click HERE to read a summary of the bill.

Click HERE to read the bill text.

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