FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2014
House Passes Legislation to Combat
Substance Abuse Epidemic
Includes Several Measures to Curb
Prescription Drug Abuse and Save Lives
(BOSTON) – State
Representative Thomas Golden joined his colleagues in the House of
Representatives in voting unanimously to pass a bill that will increase access
to substance abuse treatment as well as create several measures to combat the
current epidemic.
The bill aims to increase access
to treatment by requiring all insurance plans in the Commonwealth to cover
acute treatment services, clinical stabilization, and medical detox for at
least ten days. Patients will be able to
access treatment without first having to obtain prior authorization. Additionally, licensed drug and alcohol
counselors will be added to the list of covered specialists to allow providers
to bill insurers for their services.
“This legislation is the first
step in quelling the rise in substance addiction that is devastating the lives
of people across the Commonwealth,” House
Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said. “The bill provides the foundation for
sustainable improvement by increasing access to care and changing the way we
monitor and respond to unprecedented public health crises like the one we’re
currently confronting.”
The bill creates several measures
to combat abuse, including a provision to ensure access and utilization of abuse-deterrent
pain medications. These medications are specially
engineered to be more difficult to abuse.
The bill expands the Drug Formulary Commission and requires them to recommend
a list of abuse-deterrent, chemically-equivalent substitutions for opiates.
“Prescription drug abuse has
reached epidemic proportions in our communities and we need to do more to
battle this,” said Rep. Golden. “This bill will make it more difficult for
those to abuse medications and will also prevent drugs from being altered for
use other than prescribed. Technologies
and products are on the market today that prevent someone from crushing,
cutting, grinding, or abusing opiates. The
DEA and others in law enforcement will attest that medications with
abuse-deterrent properties are making a difference in helping combat
abuse. This bill would ensure that they
are accessible and utilized. It will
save lives in our communities and our state.”
The bill also authorizes the
Department of Public Health (DPH) to create a list of prescription drop boxes
and other safe locations where people can dispose of excess prescription drugs.
“Education about prescription
abuse is critical,” Rep. Golden added. “People need to know how important it is to
take their medications as directed, store them securely, and properly dispose
of them when no longer needed.”
Finally, the bill authorizes DPH
to temporarily categorize a substance as “schedule I” on an emergency basis to
avoid imminent hazard to public safety or to preserve public health.
No comments:
Post a Comment