Originally published by our sister publication Pain Medicine News

By Michael Smith

The NOPAIN Act (Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation) is a big legislative win for the pain medicine profession in Washington, but it already requires an amendment to ensure that seniors are covered for nonopioid alternative medicines under Medicare Part D.

According to Voices for Non-Opioid Choices, a grassroots organization calling for pain medicine options, this bill is to play catch-up on the current NOPAIN Act.

The Alternatives to PAIN Act (H.R. 7142/S. 3832) was recently introduced in Congress by senators Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) and Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.). This bipartisan legislation will build on the success of past legislation, in the NOPAIN Act, by increasing access for seniors to nonopioid pain management options in Medicare Part D, which provides prescription drug coverage for nearly 52 million Americans.

The legislation would ensure that seniors have full access to nonopioid pain management options and allow patients and healthcare professionals to choose the treatment that is right for them. Under this bill, Americans on Medicare Part D would never pay more for a nonopioid than they would for an opioid prescription.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's (D-N.H.) original NOPAIN Act encourages physicians to prescribe alternatives to opioids by requiring the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide separate Medicare reimbursement for nonopioid treatments used to manage postsurgical pain—in both the hospital outpatient department and the ambulatory surgery center settings.

The Alternatives to PAIN Act bill was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its powerful health subcommittee for action. On the Senate side, the act now has 17 co-sponsors led by Sen. Thom Tillis, and it has been referred out for further action in the Senate Finance Committee.

The Alternatives to PAIN Act would amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure appropriate access to nonopioid pain management drugs under Part D of the Medicare program.