On May 9 and May 17, 2018, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce ordered 59 bills to be reported related to the nation’s response to the opioid epidemic. Because of the large number of related bills ordered reported by the Committee, CBO is publishing a single comprehensive document that includes estimates for each piece of legislation.
H.R. 5197, the Alternatives to Opioids (ALTO) in the Emergency Department Act, would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a demonstration program for hospitals and emergency departments to develop alternative protocols for pain management that limit the use of opioids and would authorize $10 million annually in grants for fiscal years 2019 through 2021. Based on historical spending patterns for similar programs, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 5197 would cost $30 million over the 2019-2023 period.
