Budzinski Cosponsors Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Opioid Addiction Among Seniors

Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski represents Illinois’ 13th Congressional District

For Immediate Release – Tuesday, June 25, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) cosponsored bipartisan legislation to help combat the opioid epidemic by increasing access to non-opioid pain management treatments for Medicare beneficiaries.

“As we continue to combat the opioid epidemic, we must take action to encourage alternative treatments for pain management,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. “I’m proud to be backing bipartisan legislation to make non-opioid pain relief options more affordable for our senior citizens on Medicare. By increasing access to opioid alternatives, we can fight back against addiction and the high prescription drug costs impacting older Americans.”

Seniors are at increased risk of opioid misuse. Many experience pain related to acute illness or injury and are more likely to have chronic disorders associated with pain, leading to a high incidence of the prescribing of lower-cost generic opioids for pain management among this population. In 2021, more than one million seniors were diagnosed with an opioid use disorder in the United States — with fatal drug overdoses among people 65 years and older quadrupling over the last two decades.

The Budzinski-backed Alternatives to Prevent Addiction in the Nation (Alternatives to PAIN) Act would encourage the use of opioid alternatives to reduce addiction among seniors. Specifically, the bill would limit cost-sharing for patients receiving non-opioid based pain relief under Medicare Part D plans by requiring that the out-of-pocket cost of non-opioid treatments is no higher than the out-of-pocket costs of generic opioids. Additionally, the legislation would dissuade private insurance companies from steering patients toward generic prescription opioids and remove administrative red tape that prevents seniors from accessing the most suitable non-opioid pain management drug for them.

The full text of the legislation can be found here.