WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Alex X. Mooney’s bill, the Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing Act, also known as the PROP Act, was introduced in the United States Senate by Ron Johnson (WI-R), Joe Manchin (WV-D), John Barrasso (WY-R) and Richard Blumenthal (CT-D). This bill makes a technical modification to the Affordable Care Act to eliminate a potential penalty on physicians who refuse to overprescribe opioid drugs.
“Prescription drug abuse is wreaking havoc on families and communities in West Virginia and across our country. We have to fight back against this drug epidemic before it tears more lives apart,” said U.S. Rep. Alex X. Mooney (WV-2). “The Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP) Act changes current law to help end the unnecessary overuse of prescription painkillers. In doing so, this bill empowers doctors, not the federal government, to choose what is right for patients. I am thankful to Senator Ron Johnson (WI-R), Senator Joe Manchin (WV-D), Senator John Barrasso (WY-R), and Richard Blumenthal (CT-D) for introducing this important piece of legislation in the United States Senate.”
“The Senate's recent passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act was an important step, but there is still more we can do.” Sen. Johnson said. “The government may mean well by linking payments to patient satisfaction, but there is real, bipartisan concern that specific questions about pain management place inappropriate pressure on doctors. Physicians must be free to exercise their best judgment when prescribing the proper level of pain medication – that’s what patients and taxpayers expect.”
The Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing Act, would remove a significant source of pressure on doctors to prescribe narcotic pain medication. For more information on the PROP Act, follow this link.
The PROP Act has been endorsed by American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, American Society of Addiction Medicine, American Academy of Neurology, American Osteopathic Association, Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, Friends of NIDA, and American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Bipartisan Original House Cosponsors: Annie Kuster (D-NH), Hal Rogers (R-KY), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), Frank Guinta (R-NH), Tim Ryan (D-OH), and Barbara Comstock (R-VA).
Alex X. Mooney represents West Virginia’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a member of the Budget and Natural Resources Committees.
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