Greg Walden

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I don't believe I have any other speakers on this legislation, so I would urge its passage. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5800) to require the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission to conduct an exploratory study and report on requirements applicable to and practices of institutions for mental diseases under the Medicaid program.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this bill, sponsored by my colleagues, Representatives Upton, Walters, Blackburn, and myself, requires the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, known as MACPAC, to submit to Congress by January 1, 2020, a report about the services furnished to Medicaid enrollees who are patients in an IMD, that is, an institute of mental disease. As we know, an IMD is a facility of more than 16 beds that is primarily engaged in providing diagnosis, treatment, or care of persons with mental diseases, including treatment for individuals with substance use disorder. Now, since the 1960s, Medicaid's IMD exclusion has limited the circumstances under which Federal Medicaid matching funds are available for inpatient mental healthcare. This means that Medicaid beneficiaries with mental health or substance use disorders are statutorily barred from receiving care in an IMD. While Medicaid has the IMD exclusion, there is great need for this care. According to SAMHSA's 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 8 million people--8 million, Mr. Speaker--had a mental disorder and a substance use disorder, also known as co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. So where do Medicaid beneficiaries get the inpatient care they need? That is the question. First, States can provide Medicaid coverage for services rendered in facilities that do not meet the definition of an IMD, such as facilities with 16 or fewer beds, and facilities that are not primarily engaged in providing care to individuals with mental diseases. Second, States can get a waiver to allow for IMD services to be reimbursed. However, as we all know, waivers take a lot of time, and not all States have them. So because of these complications, there is a great variation, and, frankly, little information on IMD services. That information is limited to one GAO report about types of institutional care. The goal of this legislation is to better help Congress and CMS understand how current Medicaid dollars are being used to provide care for patients with substance use disorder and mental health disease in an IMD. This bill seeks to identify gaps in our knowledge about IMDs and leverage MACPAC's research capabilities to help address these gaps. Given the broad bipartisan interest in ensuring patients have access to the full continuum of care, we want to ensure Congress and CMS understand how Medicaid dollars for services are being used, whether that is under a waiver, under managed care, or under fee-for-service Medicaid. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), the former chairman of the full committee, the chairman of the Energy Subcommittee, who was very instrumental in this legislation.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. I thank the Members from Michigan who brought it to our attention, and worked with the full Energy and Commerce Committee in bringing it to your disposal here on the floor. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for H.R. 5009. This is known as Jessie's Law, and it is written in memory of Michigan resident Jessie Grubb, who tragically died of an opioid overdose in 2016. This legislation will help ensure medical professionals have access to a consenting patient's complete health information when making treatment decisions. This is critical to ensure that mistakes, such as the one that tragically happened to Jessie Grubb, never ever, ever happen again. This bill also incorporates the language of H.R. 5695, known as Emmett's Law, which would require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop best practices for healthcare providers on permitted disclosures of medical records during emergencies with families, caregivers, and other healthcare providers. I thank my colleagues from Michigan, Representatives Tim Walberg and Debbie Dingell, for leading this important initiative, along with the collaboration and support of Representatives Evan Jenkins, Carol Shea- Porter, Tom MacArthur, Vicky Hartzler, Bob Latta, and David McKinley. They have all put a lot of time and effort into this to solve a problem many of us have encountered in our States and our districts. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), an author of this incredibly important piece of legislation.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), an incredibly important member of our committee.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I urge the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5041) to amend the Controlled Substances Act to authorize the employees of a hospice program to handle controlled substances in the residence of a deceased hospice patient to assist in disposal, as amended.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the Record on the bill.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would encourage our colleagues to support this fine piece of legislation and, again, commend its authors for doing the good work that will help so many in our districts. Mr. Speaker, I urge support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for H.R. 4284, the Indexing Narcotics, Fentanyl, and Opioid Act of 2018, more easily known as the INFO Act. This legislation will facilitate the linking of all nationwide health efforts and strategies to combat the opioid crisis into one place, as well as create an interagency substance abuse disorder coordinating committee to review and coordinate research, services, and prevention activities across all relevant Federal agencies. This is going to be a tremendous resource for patients, families, and local communities and their leaders. I want to thank my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Latta) for leading this important initiative. I think all of us in our districts, Mr. Speaker, have heard directly from people saying: I don't know what resources are there at the Federal level. I don't know where to go access it. Can't you do something? That is why Mr. Latta, who chairs our Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection, rose to the challenge and put together this piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta) to discuss the importance of this legislation.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4284) to establish a Federal Coordinator within the Department of Health and Human Services, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4684) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to publish and disseminate best practices for operating a recovery housing, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the Record on the bill.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for H.R. 4684, Ensuring Access to Quality Sober Living Act of 2018. This legislation will require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate best practices for operating recovery housing. We heard a lot about these issues in the course of our investigation and in our legislative work. Recently, an increasing number of reports have revealed the nefarious practice of patient brokering. This is where individuals known as ``patient brokers'' treat men and women with a substance use disorder as a commodity. They push them to seek treatment at certain outpatient facilities and to live at affiliated recovery residences while undergoing treatment. In exchange for steering patients towards specific facilities and housing, patient brokers then receive generous financial kickbacks. Oftentimes, the residence and the treatment center involved in the kickback scheme lack any oversight, transparency, or accountability. This legislation will help ensure that recovery residences maintain safe and supportive environments for those who are in recovery. I would like to thank my California colleagues, Judy Chu, Mimi Walters, and Raul Ruiz, along with Florida Representative Gus Bilirakis, for addressing this important issue and bringing this legislation to the committee and to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In conclusion, I just want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their incredible tenacity, their hard work, bringing from their districts and from the people they represent these ideas to formulate solutions that we are now going to enact into law and move over to the Senate. We will pass them here and move them over to the Senate and eventually into law. I would also point out that, starting in 2016, 2017, Republicans in this Congress passed CARA, and the 21st Century Cures Act, putting over $1.2 billion into the efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. And then we doubled down, literally and figuratively, and even more than that, I think we have got $4 billion in the latest spending bill directed specifically at opioids, and another couple of billion at mental health services. Both of these are big needs for our communities and for our citizens, both led by Republicans and the Trump administration in terms of this most latest investment in the fight on opioids. And I know President Trump and the administration do a lot of work on their own through using their executive powers, their administrative powers to address the problems of the opioid epidemic through the various agencies of the Federal Government. Not only are they leading on that, but they are also partnering with our States and our local communities. We have got to make sure the money that we appropriate gets all the way to the ground, gets into these community organizations that are on the front lines of helping people get into treatment, helping them get the services that they need. It has record funding going in. It helps when we change these laws to modernize them so that people can get access to the care they need and they deserve, and together, we are going to solve this problem. It is a big step forward, 25 bills today. We will have more later in this week and another 25 or 30 next week. We know that this is an ongoing challenge for our country. It will be an ongoing effort for our committee. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this particular piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Representative Jenkins, who is here and going to speak in a moment; Representative Matsui, who is also here and going to speak in a moment; Representative Mullin; and others who are working together on this bill. H.R. 3331 will open an opportunity to accelerate the use of electronic health records for behavioral health providers. Behavioral health providers were left out of the HITECH incentives, leading to a lower rate of adoption and creating a gap in continuity of care at a point when it is most needed. If there is one place you don't want a data-drop in care provided it is with those who have sought care, but their doctors don't know about it because they don't have the technology they need. No patient should face the risks of being rerouted to opioids because their provider did not have the full picture of a patient's history. During the thorough legislative process the Energy and Commerce Committee has engaged in to get here today, we have heard from several witnesses and stakeholders on the importance of better utilizing technology. So it is a natural step to let CMMI test the impact of connecting behavioral health providers with the rest of the healthcare community. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 3331. House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC, June 7, 2018. Hon. Kevin Brady, Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Brady: On May 9 and 17, 2018, the Committee on Energy and Commerce ordered favorably reported over 50 bills to address the opioid epidemic facing communities across our nation. Several of the bills were also referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. I ask that the Committee on Ways and Means not insist on its referral of the following bills so that they may be scheduled for consideration by the Majority Leader: H.R. 1925, At-Risk Youth Medicaid Protection Act of 2017; H.R. 3331, To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to promote testing of incentive payments for behavioral health providers for adoption and use of certified electronic health record technology; H.R. 3528, Every Prescription Conveyed Securely Act; H.R. 4841, Standardizing Electronic Prior Authorization for Safe Prescribing Act of 2018; H.R. 5582, Abuse Deterrent Access Act of 2018; H.R. 5590, Opioid Addiction Action Plan Act; H.R. 5603, Access to Telehealth Services for Opioid Use Disorder; H.R. 5605, Advancing High Quality Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders in Medicare Act; H.R. 5675, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require prescription drug plan sponsors under the Medicare program to establish drug management programs for at-risk beneficiaries; H.R. 5684, Protecting Seniors from Opioid Abuse Act; H.R. 5685, Medicare Opioid Safety Education Act; H.R. 5686, Medicare Clear Health Options in Care for Enrollees (CHOICE) Act; H.R. 5715, Strengthening Partnerships to Prevent Opioid Abuse Act; H.R. 5716, Commit to Opioid Medical Prescriber Accountability and Safety for Seniors (COMPASS) Act; H.R. 5796, Responsible Education Achieves Care and Healthy Outcomes for Users' Treatment (REACH OUT) Act of 2018; H.R. 5798, Opioid Screening and Chronic Pain Management Alternatives for Seniors Act; H.R. 5804, Post-Surgical Injections as an Opioid Alternative Act; and H.R. 5809, Postoperative Opioid Prevention Act of 2018. This concession in no way affects your jurisdiction over the subject matter of these bills, and it will not serve as precedent for future referrals. In addition, should a conference on the bills be necessary, I would support your request to have the Committee on Ways and Means on the conference committee. Finally, I would be pleased to include this letter and your response in the bill reports and the Congressional Record. Thank you for your consideration of my request and for the extraordinary cooperation shown by you and your staff over matters of shared jurisdiction. I look forward to further opportunities to work with you this Congress. Sincerely, Greg Walden, Chairman.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3331) to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to promote testing of incentive payments for behavioral health providers for adoption and use of certified electronic health record technology, as amended.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Kansas (Ms. Jenkins), who has been a real leader on this legislation.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, so I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of this legislation, and I want to thank Representatives Comstock and Lujan for their leadership on it. This bill would take steps to facilitate the development of products that reduce, replace, or prevent the use of opioids. Specifically, this legislation will direct the FDA to hold a public meeting and update the agency's guidance on opioid sparing data that can be used to support updated product labeling and claims. For many Americans, Mr. Speaker, dealing with chronic or acute pain, there are limited alternatives to opioids, but for some patients, there may be therapeutic alternatives which do not share the same risks inherent in opioid use. This bill will facilitate the process of getting information to providers and patients at a critical juncture in their treatment. By reducing the need to start an opioid, we can stop addiction before it starts, and we can save countless lives in the process. So I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this narrowly tailored, commonsense, and noncontroversial measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers on this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.