Expanding Access to Non-Opioid Pain Management: ASCA Supports the Alternatives to PAIN Act
As partners with?Voices for Non-Opioid Choices, ASCA and our members support the reintroduction of the #AlternativestoPAINAct (Alternatives to Prevent Addiction in the Nation Act), a crucial step towards expanding access to non-opioid pain management treatments for Medicare beneficiaries nationwide. Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are at the forefront of innovation, quality and patient safety in outpatient surgical care. Moreover, we are committed to preventing pathways to addiction for patients who receive services in ASCs. We were pleased with the passage of the NOPAIN Act in the 118th Congress, but more work remains in our efforts to battle opioid addiction in healthcare.?
The widely supported NOPAIN Act expanded patient and provider access to FDA-approved non-opioid pain management approaches in outpatient surgical settings beginning in 2025. The Alternatives to PAIN Act builds on this by ensuring access to non-opioid approaches at the pharmacy counter, which would increase access to a comprehensive range of non-opioid pain management options.?
Background:
The bipartisan Alternatives to PAIN Act?is sponsored by a diverse group of Senators and Members of Congress. It addresses the growing opioid crisis, particularly among seniors. Alarmingly, opioid use disorder and overdoses are rising in this population, with a 63% increase in opioid overdose deaths among those 65+ between 2012 and 2020. The bill aims to curb opioid use by increasing access to non-opioid pain management under Medicare Part D. It tackles the problem of cost-driven opioid prescriptions by limiting patient cost-sharing for non-opioid treatments, prohibiting step therapy and prior authorization for these alternatives, and promoting patient-provider communication about pain management options. This approach seeks to reduce the prevalence of opioids in communities and offer safer, more effective pain relief. The opioid epidemic costs taxpayers an estimated $1.5 trillion annually, and this legislation aims to address the issue.
More information on the legislation’s Senate and House bill sponsors and partner organizations supporting the reintroduction can be found below.?
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Statements from Bill Cosponsors
Senate:?Senator Mark Kelly (D-AR)?and?Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC)
House:?Representative Miller-Meeks?and Representative Tony Cárdenas
#AlternativesToPAINAct #PainManagement #OpioidCrisis #PatientSafety #PatientAccess #HealthcareInnovation #SurgeryCenters #ASCs #ASCA