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. 5686, the Medicare Clear Health Options in Care for Enrollees Act of 2018, would require prescription drug plans that provide coverage under Medicare Part D to furnish information to beneficiaries about the risks of opioid use and the availability of alternative treatments for pain. CBO estimates that enacting the bill would not affect direct spending because the required activities would not impose significant administrative costs.
On June 6, 2018, CBO issued an estimate for seven opioid-related bills ordered reported by the House Committee on Ways and Means on May 16, 2018. In this estimate, a provision related to Medicare beneficiary education in H.R. 5686 is the same as a provision in section 2 of H.R. 5775, the Providing Reliable Options for Patients and Educational Resources Act of 2018, in CBO’s estimate for the Committee on Ways and Means.
