Newly passed bill could ease access to opioid drugs for those with chronic pain
Among other things, this year’s opioid-related bill — passed unanimously by the state Senate Wednesday — could ease access to medication for those who have severe chronic pain.
H.B. No. 7159, put forth by Gov. Ned Lamont, requires prescribers to establish treatment agreements with patients who need opioid drugs for more than 12 weeks. Each agreement must set treatment goals and outline the risks of using opioids.
State Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, said the provision may make prescribers more likely to allow certain patients to pursue long-term opioid drug treatment. Because the agreement goes into a patient’s medical record, it also should prevent patients from doctor shopping, or trying to get the same prescription from multiple doctors.
Somers said legislators added the provision because, as legislation has cracked down on prescribing practices, some residents have found it nearly impossible to get opioid medications.
“We needed to make sure those who truly need something have access to it,” she said.
Though H.B. No. 7159 is Lamont’s bill, Somers said it contains elements of bills introduced by the Public Health and Judicial committees.
Somers, a ranking member of the Public Health Committee, said her committee chose early on to work with Lamont rather than against him.
“We don’t want a situation where there are competing bills, and one is called (for a vote) while the other is not,” she said. “It’s not about ownership or who introduced the bill. It’s about getting the best results.”
Somers said a special working group of legislators, first responders, medical personnel, mental health professionals and addiction treatment specialists crafted the final product.
“We’re trying to collect some data to make some more intentional steps going forward,” Somers said of the bill.
Per data from the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, opioid overdoses have killed 4,663 people in Connecticut since 2012, including about 950 in each of the last two years.
For comparison, crashes have killed 1,974 people over the same span, per the UConn Crash Data Repository.
“I hope one year we don’t have to have an opioid bill,” Somers said.
Other aspects of the bill
H.B. No. 7159, which largely goes into effect Oct. 1, also:
[naviga:ul]
[naviga:li]Prohibits life insurance companies from excluding people from coverage solely because they have a prescription for naloxone, the overdose-reversal drug whose brand name is Narcan. (“Yeah, we found out some companies really are doing that,” Somers said.)[/naviga:li]
[naviga:li]Requires pharmacists who dispense opioid medications to offer to discuss the drug with each customer, and to record whether people accept or reject the counseling.[/naviga:li]
[naviga:li]Requires drug manufacturers and wholesalers to report to the state each time they cut ties with a pharmacy or a medical practitioner, and to explain why. (“It’s a consumer protection measure,” Somers said.)[/naviga:li]
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