Chairman Mike Turner (OH-10) of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces and Ranking Member Seth Moulton (MA-6) of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations sent a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis expressing concern about the Department of Defense’s (DoD) practice of reporting prescriptions, particularly regarding opioids. The Congressmen urged Secretary Mattis “to take proactive steps to report TRICARE beneficiaries’ controlled substance prescriptions to state prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) as soon as possible.”
“The opioid crisis is a national health emergency devastating our communities, Dayton especially,” said Chairman Turner. “A loophole that does not require the DoD to report controlled substance prescriptions to PDMPs makes our nation’s active duty service members, reservists, their families, veterans, and retirees vulnerable to this epidemic of addiction. Ranking Member Moulton and I are asking Secretary Mattis to immediately close this loophole to prevent more individuals from falling victim to opioid addiction.”
"It is imperative that Secretary Mattis take proactive steps to ensure reporting of TRICARE beneficiaries’ controlled substance prescriptions to state prescription drug monitoring programs,” said Ranking Member Moulton. “Addressing this loophole will help us get our service members the assistance they may need to stay healthy and safe. Prescription drug monitoring programs are a proven tool to cut down on prescription drug abuse, but these state-based programs require good data. The Department of Defense ought to share its prescription data just like the Department of Veterans Affairs has successfully done. Working together, we can combat prescription drug abuse."
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