Bill > HR5189

This bill, the Opioid Abuse Crisis Act of 2016, aims to combat the opioid epidemic through a multi-faceted approach, including significant funding for prevention and treatment programs, with $600 million authorized for fiscal year 2017 to improve prescribing practices and expand access to substance use disorder treatments. It establishes a grant program for opioid overdose reversal drugs, like naloxone, to be prescribed to at-risk individuals and their caregivers, and allows for partial filling of prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances, which are drugs with a high potential for abuse but also accepted medical use, under certain conditions. The bill also modernizes treatment for opioid use disorder by increasing the patient limit for practitioners prescribing certain medications and expanding access to these treatments, while also focusing on improving care for pregnant and postpartum women, supporting healthy babies, and assisting veterans with military emergency medical training to become civilian emergency medical technicians. Furthermore, it addresses responsible opioid management by updating guidelines for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) on pain management and opioid therapy, enhancing opioid safety measures within the VA, and strengthening a joint working group on pain management. The legislation also includes provisions for patient advocacy within the VA, expands research and education on complementary and integrative health for veterans, and improves the hiring and oversight of healthcare providers within the VA. A significant portion of the bill is dedicated to improving safe care for infants affected by substance abuse, establishing best practices for "plans of safe care" to ensure infant well-being. Finally, it introduces measures to prevent prescription drug abuse under Medicare Parts C and D, including a drug management program for at-risk beneficiaries, and excludes authorized generic drugs from the calculation of average manufacturer prices for brand-name drugs.