This morning, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) released the following statement regarding the White House’s decision to raise the cap on the number of patients to whom doctors are allowed to prescribe buprenorphine, a medication to ease opioid cravings that helps individuals transition into recovery.  The move will permit doctors who are licensed to prescribe the drug to treat as many as 275 patients per year – up from 100 previously. As the Co-founder and Co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic, Kuster has long called for this change, and she applauds the White House for taking action on her request:

“I’ve traveled the state of New Hampshire hearing directly from advocates, stakeholders, medical professionals, and individuals both in recovery and attempting to access recovery services, and one of the top issues I’ve heard is that there’s a lack of access to medication that can help curb cravings and ease an individual into recovery. I’ve long called for the White House to allow more doctors to prescribe buprenorphine, and I’ve fought for passage of legislation that would do just that. I applaud the White House for taking action on my request today.”

“Raising the cap on the number of patients to whom each doctor can prescribe this life-saving medication will go a long way towards ensuring that Granite Staters and Americans across the country can get the help they need to overcome addiction and go on to lead happy, healthy lives. Now, as a member of the Conference Committee that will report out final legislation to additionally address the opioid epidemic, I urge for the inclusion and passage of a bill that will also allow nurse practitioners to administer this medication, thereby widening the scope and allowing even more Americans to access the medication they desperately need in order to escape a life of addiction.” 

Kuster has helped lead the fight to address the heroin and opioid crisis at the federal level and in New Hampshire, and she has been an outspoken advocate for the need to support medical, law enforcement, treatment, and recovery efforts. As the co-founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic, she was instrumental in the fight to pass 18 bills in the House to address the opioid crisis, including H.R. 4981, the Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Expansion and Modernization Act, which also would raise the cap on patients, and additionally allow nurse practitioners to become certified to administer buprenorphine. In recognition of her leadership on this issue, Kuster is serving on the conference committee tasked with producing the final version of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which will combine these 18 House bills with a Senate counterpart.

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