Arizona Senator Mark Kelly recently took an assertive stand on the opioid epidemic's impact on seniors. During a Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing, Kelly underscored the plight of older adults battling opioid use disorder, the critical role Medicare plays in providing treatment, and the pressing need for affordable access to non-opioid alternatives.
With co-sponsorship from Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), Kelly introduced the Alternatives to Prevent Addiction in the Nation (PAIN) Act earlier this month. This legislative effort seeks to swiftly ensure that Medicare covers non-opioid pain medications, aiming to swiftly remove the financial hurdles that steer seniors toward opioids at pharmacies. Drawing on the momentum of last year's NO PAIN Act, which broadened Medicare reimbursement for similar treatments in hospitals, the PAIN Act is poised to further reorient the system towards better pain management.
Expert testimonies at the hearing echoed Kelly's concerns, with individuals like Dr. Bradley Stein, Director of the RAND-USC Schaeffer Opioid Policy Center, and Dr. Malik Burnett, a Baltimore-based addiction medicine specialist, emphasizing the dire need for broader pain management strategies. They specifically pointed to the gaps in coverage for complementary therapies, leaving many seniors with few alternatives to manage chronic pain.
This issue hits close to home for Senator Kelly, representing a state where seniors make up over 17% of the population. Committed to bettering the lives of these constituents, Kelly is pushing to expand access to safer, non-addictive treatments for pain management. It's not just about covering opioids, he argues, but also about being prepared to provide real options with the plethora of non-opioid alternatives inching closer to market availability. “I think we can stop addiction before it starts for many of these individuals that wind up in treatment. And I have a bill that would improve access to non-opioid pain medication for seniors who are on Medicare,” Kelly stated. “Now my bill would make sure that seniors aren’t paying more for a non-opioid pain reliever than they would pay for an opioid.”
Advocates for the elderly and health care reform will likely keep a close watch on the progress of the PAIN Act, hoping for a shift in how pain is managed and how addiction is prevented among our older population. For a deeper dive into Senator Kelly's remarks on this issue and the complexities surrounding opioid abuse among seniors, a video has been made available for download via his Senate website.
