U.S. Senate Passes Seven Heller Bills to Combat Nevada's Opioid Epidemic

Press Release

The U.S. Senate today passed seven of U.S. Senator Dean Heller's (R-NV) bills aimed at combating Nevada's opioid epidemic, including legislation that would expand access to treatment for pregnant women who have a substance abuse disorder and newborns who are suffering from withdrawal, as well as a measure aimed at eliminating doctor shopping and fraudulent prescriptions. According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 757 people died from drug overdoses in Nevada in a single year. From 2010 to 2016, 85 percent of the opioid-related deaths in Nevada were deemed accidents, and opioid-related emergency room encounters increased by more than 130 percent over a six-year period.

Every 25 minutes a baby is born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a withdrawal condition often caused by use of opioids and other addictive substances in pregnant women. Because the CDC has reported a 300 percent increase in the number of babies born with NAS in Nevada, Heller has championed efforts that require Congress to step in to ensure that newborns suffering from withdrawal have access to treatment. For example, the Caring Recovery for Infants and Babies (CRIB) Act, legislation that Heller and a bipartisan group of senators previously introduced, is one of the seven bills that passed the U.S. Senate as part of the Opioid Crisis Response Act, a broader package designed to help states address opioid abuse and reduce the number of drug overdoses by expanding access to treatment, investing in recovery programs, and expediting research related to substance abuse. Specifically, the CRIB Act would allow Medicaid to cover health care services provided to infants in residential pediatric recovery facilities in addition to hospitals.

The legislative package the U.S. Senate approved today also included the Help for Moms and Babies Act, another bipartisan, Heller-backed bill. This legislation would continue providing pregnant women seeking treatment with prenatal and postpartum services.

"The opioid epidemic has rocked communities in Nevada and throughout this country and many families continue to struggle as they watch their loved ones battle with addiction," said Heller. "That's why I am pleased to see the U.S. Senate approve seven of my provisions to help Nevada fight the opioid epidemic. Whether it is making sure that treatment is available for pregnant women who have a substance abuse disorder and newborns who are suffering from withdrawal or cracking down on duplicative or fraudulent prescriptions, I have been working diligently with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address the opioid epidemic, and I remain hopeful that my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives will move to swiftly pass this critical package. As the fifth most bipartisan Senator in the U.S. Senate, I'll continue working to advance policies that will provide Nevada the tools it needs to further help individuals who are struggling with addiction and reduce the number of overdose deaths."

Additionally, the Opioid Crisis Response Act included the Every Prescription Conveyed Securely (EPCS) Act, bipartisan legislation Heller helped introduce that takes a critical step toward eliminating duplicative or fraudulent prescriptions by requiring electronic prescriptions for controlled substances under Medicare. A Department of Justice report found that misused prescription opioids are often obtained illegally using forged or altered prescriptions and by consulting multiple doctors -- a practice referred to as doctor shopping- and that most prescription fraud remains undetected. Nevada has been ranked the 6th highest state for the number of milligrams of opioids distributed per adult, and according to data from the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, for every 100 Nevada residents there are 87 opioid prescriptions.

Below is a full list of legislation included in the Opioid Response Act that Heller either authored or co-authored:

S.2909, Assessing Barriers to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Act (Heller/Bennet). This would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to identify barriers to doctors' and pharmacists' provision of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in Medicaid. This bill would help support states' removing barriers so doctors and pharmacists can use the least burdensome MAT distribution methods.
S.2911, Enhancing Patient Access to Non-Opioid Treatment Options (Heller/Casey). This legislation would clarify states' legal authority to pursue non-opioid related prescribing.
S.2921, Securing Flexibility to Treat Substance Use Disorders Act (Heller/Menendez). This legislation would codify the regulations permitting managed care plans to cover treatment in an institution for mental disease (IMD) for a certain number of days in a month in lieu of other types of services.
S.2707, Informing Seniors about Opioids Act (Nelson/Heller). This legislation would update the "Medicare and You" handbook to include information about opioid use, pain management, and alternative pain management treatments.
S.2460, Every Prescription Conveyed Securely Act (Bennet/Heller/Warren/Toomey). This legislation would direct health care providers to use electronic prescribing for controlled substances for Medicare Part D transactions. Electronic prescriptions would generate real-time information on opioid use and streamline the prescription process for both providers and their patients.
S.2899, Caring Recovery for Infants and Babies Act (Brown/Portman/Capito/King/Manchin/Heller/ Casey/Whitehouse). This legislation would recognize residential pediatric care centers within Medicaid to treat babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).
S.2922, Help for Moms and Babies Act (Stabenow/Heller). This legislation would provide protection for pregnant women who have a substance abuse disorder and are seeking treatment within an IMD. This bill would continue providing pregnant women seeking treatment with prenatal and postpartum services for 60 days under Medicaid.

Source