The 2017 legislative session started out with a huge number of bills impacting the chronic pain community. U.S. Pain Foundation will continue focusing on issues that are relevant to people living with pain including, but not limited to: step therapy, non-medical switching, biologics/biosimilars, abuse-deterrent formularies, medical marijuana, out-of-pocket costs, complementary and integrative therapies and treatment access.
U.S. Pain Foundation spoke out on two important federal issues this month with articles in the National Pain Report. The first article, published Jan. 11, discussed the potential Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal, while a second article highlighted new biosimilar and biologic naming guidelines and was published Jan. 24.
In the ACA story, U.S. Pain joined many other patient advocacy organizations in expressing concern over the potential repeal without details for a replacement. Written by Shaina Smith, director of advocacy and alliance development, on behalf of U.S. Pain, the article emphasized the importance of access to quality, affordable insurance for chronic pain patients.
Patient advocates, clinicians, administrators, policymakers, and other experts in pain and addiction medicine came together Dec. 6 for the “Summit on Balanced Pain Management” in Washington, D.C., to discuss providing effective, safe pain care while addressing the opioid crisis. Hosted by the Alliance for Balanced Pain Management (AfBPM), the day featured panels and lectures on topics ranging from implementing the National Pain Strategy to how clinicians can provide balanced care in their practice.