WASHINGTON — The Senate on Monday passed sweeping, bipartisan legislation aimed at combating the opioid epidemic through new research, treatment and help for families affected by addiction.
The bill, which includes more than 70 provisions, passed the Senate with a 99-1 vote. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, voted against the legislation.
To become law, the package would need to be reconciled with legislation that passed the House of Representatives in June. Senate aides are optimistic the measures can be reconciled and passed by the end of the year.
One proposal, by Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, prompts physicians to discuss pain-management alternatives for those who use Medicare. Nearly one in three who use Medicare’s Part D prescription plan received a prescription opioid in 2017, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The Senate legislation would give money to the National Institutes of Health to research a nonaddictive painkiller. It would also try to stop synthetic drugs from being shipped across the border by requiring foreign shippers to provide electronic data to help U.S. officials target illegal packages.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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