North New Castle News

WASHINGTON — Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), along with Reps. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.), introduced legislation to ensure access to the overdose reversal drug naloxone for communities nationwide. H.R. 4005, the Naloxone Affordability Act, underscores how critical reliable access to naloxone is in our efforts to end the addiction and combat the mental health crisis. This comes on the heels of the bipartisan STOP Fentanyl Overdoses Act, which Blunt Rochester introduced with Kuster and Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) in May. 

“As we aim to combat the opioid epidemic in every corner of our country, we must ensure that every tool to save lives is at our disposal,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester, member of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force. “That’s why I’m proud to join my colleagues in an effort to expand harm-reduction strategies, including making access to naloxone easier. We’ll continue our work to expand these efforts and save every life possible.”

 

“Every life lost to overdose is a tragedy – we must utilize the resources we have to end the substance use crisis and prevent deaths,” said Rep. Kuster, founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force. “That’s where harm reduction tools like naloxone are so crucial. I am proud to introduce legislation to ensure naloxone is affordable and accessible for communities in New Hampshire and across the country.”

  

“The fentanyl crisis is costing American lives every day. We’ve got to invest in the tools we need to prevent additional suffering and work to expand addiction treatment resources to the communities that need them most. I’m proud to partner with Reps. Kuster and Blunt Rochester on this important bill and I’ll keep pushing to expand naloxone access and awareness,” said Rep. Craig.

 

Specifically, the Naloxone Affordability Act would:

• Require a Comptroller General study on the accessibility and affordability of naloxone, including:
  • Insurance coverage of naloxone,
  • Out-of-pocket costs to consumers seeking to purchase naloxone,
  • And other factors impacting access.

Full bill text is available here.

Original source can be found here.