Against an epidemic brought to us by opioids. It does not matter where you live. This crisis has touched every corner of american society. While new england and the ohio valley regions represent states hardest hit by the epidemic, Health Officials from the south and reaching across the Mountain West all report a dwroeg number of Overdose Deaths in those counties. The latest figures from the cdc is astounding, 91 americans die every day from an overdose. Now more than ever we must come together and strengthen our commitment to fight this malady. I expected tos members will bring to the forefront key incites on this critical issue. In the Previous Congress the energy and Commerce Committee led several bipartisan initiatives to help address the epidemic. Theyre now law in providing resources at the state and local levels. Much needed policy changes are being implemented. The passage of both kara and cures. In fact, as a result of kara patients suffering from Substance Abuse now have greater access to evidence based treatment, Addiction Treatment services and overdose reversal therapies. Cures on the other hand provided 1 billion in grants for states to support and array of prevention, treatment and Recovery Services. I believe these initiatives are making a significant difference. At the same time other issues have emerged in this fight. Earlier this year, our committee responded to reports of people overdosing on heroin laced with synthetic opioids, fentanyl, which are 100 to 10,000 times more potent than morphine. The availability of this opioid have become a Public Health threat and partsies primarily operating in other countries are exacerbating this epidemic every day. Todays hearing will allow us to gain member perspective on potential ways to complement existing policies and federal regulations to combat the Opioid Epidemic. Representatives both on and off the energy and Commerce Committee will testify about the Opioid Epidemic, share their stories and proposed legislative solutions for our consideration. In advance i want to thank house members for participating in this important discussion and we look forward to hearing from everyone whos going to be before us today. Let me yield what little time i have left to the vice chairman of the Health Subcommittee mr. Guthrie. Thank you very much. Ill be brief. So many families have been devastated by this and dreamland which is a book i read about the Opioid Crisis had all these different scenarios and but when you see it in reality i was in owensboro and met a mom, the mom was a mother of an athletic student who had her acl torn playing soccer, was prescribed painkillers. After her recovery she was addicted to painkillers since she couldnt have access to them turned to heroin and passed away due to an overseas dose. This is a sad story. This is repeated through all groups and areas and its something that im looking forward to hearing all the testimony today to look for to further do what congress is done to kara in moving forward as well. I thank you for mr. Chairman for yielding and i yield back the balance of my time. Mr. Green, three minutes for an Opening Statement please. Thank you, mr. Chairman. The centers for Disease Control and prevention has called for Prescription Drug overdose or abuse in the United States is an epidemic has found Drug Overdose to be the leading cause of injury death in the United States. Between 1999 and 2010, the death rate from prescription painkillers more than quadruple and only continues to rise. In 2015, more than 52,000 people died of Drug Overdoses in america and about twothirds of those were linked to opioids. The toll is only rising. The the New York Times analysis of preliminary data found that 59,000 to 65,000 likely died from overdoses in 2016. Todays its estimated more than 2 million have use disorder and too few of these people are in treatment. The rate of heroin overdoses is increased dramatically in recent years. This rise is directly linked to the Opioid Epidemic. In 2010 approximately 3,000 drug poisoning deaths were connected to heroin. In 2013, the number skbrump jumped to a total 8,000 Overdose Deaths and only continues to rise. Theres no community thats not been touched by this crisis and some have been ravaged by it. This committee has taken steps to address the crisis but so much is needed to combat it, when families and communities across the country are being torn apart. Included in the 21st century cures of the state targeted response Grant Program, it provided a billion dollars over 2017 and 2018 to states to address the Opioid Epidemic. Extending this money is a crucial part of any continued leverage to respond to the epidemic. We need an approach that employees proven Public Health strategies and spans the entire spectrum from prevention to treatment and recovery. These include robust funding to support prevention, Crisis Response and expanded access to treatment and lifelong recovery tools. The Affordable Care act is say vital part of our effort to fight against the Opioid Epidemic. Through medicaid that doesnt that didnt before the aca thanks to the Medicaid Expansion. Unfortunately, americans fighting addiction like live in states that refuse to expand their Medicaid Programs like texas are left out in the cold. For those in the individual markets all plans must include services for Substance Abuse disorders and Mental Health and consumers cannot be denied coverage because of a history of Substance Abuse all thanks to the aca. This is not a small feat. Prior to the aca, roughly a third of all individual market policies didnt cover Substance Abuse treatment. Repealing the Substance Use disorder coverage will remove at least 5. 5 billion annually from the treatment of low income with abuse disorders. Going even further is the gut the Medicaid Expansion in states that took the money would be absolutely devastating to our fight against Prescription Drug and heroin addiction crisis. Were in the midst of the largest Public Health crisis in our country has known and this is not time to cut Health Care Safety nets that serve those in recovery. Im pleased that we have the opportunity to hear from our colleagues about their proposals and to combat the prescription, drug epidemic. We need a comprehensive solution to the crisis that includes real dollars and targets the entire spectrum of addiction, prevention, Crisis Response for those that fall through the cracks and expanding access to treatment and providing support for recovery. We must be guided forward to advancing new strategies and funding to turn the side of this growing crisis really help families and communities that desperately need it. And i yield back my time. The gentleman yields back. The chair thanks the gentleman. Well actually ill make an organizational note before we move to our first panel. We are going to be hearing from energy and commerce members at the outset. Energy and commerce members are welcome to give their testimony from the witness table or from the dais, whichever they prefer. We move to our first panel with chairman walden, pallone, upton, ms. Eschoo, and chairman latta. Youre welcome to testify from the table or the dais. So the chair recognizes the chairman of the full committee, mr. Walden. I thank the chairman. I come here today on behalf of my constituents like i do every day. But i think especially today with our opportunity for all members to make their case to the energy and Commerce Committee, first we want to welcome them. And i think as our colleagues on both sides of the aisle have already said, all of us and all of our communities face these challenges related to Drug Overdoses. I held a round table the day before yesterday in bend, oregon, where i learned a lot about the problems theyre facing and some of the successes theyre having. And the importance of the work that were doing here. Its a heartbreaking epidemic thats been featured on the front pages of our local newspapers, on national television, as part of the stories from our friends and Family Members. And with good reason. Conservative estimates forecast that more than 90 americans die from opioid abuses overdoses each day. 90 a day, mr. Chairman. While more than 1,000 are treated each day for abusing opioids. In 2016 alone, more than 64,000 americans died from Drug Overdoses. And in oregon alone, more people died last year from Drug Overdoses than from Car Accidents. I recently held roundtables in southern and Central Oregon to discuss how we can combat this crisis. Meeting with people on the front lines of the fight in our communities to find out whats working, what more can be done, is crucial to our efforts to end this scourge. Energy and Commerce Committee has led a number of bipartisan initiatives to help address the Opioid Epidemic from groundbreaking initiatives that are now law, like the comprehensive addiction and recovery act, c. A. R. A. , and the 21st century cures act. Resources are becoming available and important policy changes are being implemented to stem the tide of opioids. C. A. R. A. Established a comprehensive strategy for improving evidencebased treatment for patients with Substance Abuse disorders and it made significant changes to expand access to Addiction Treatment and services and overdose reversal medications. The new law also included criminal justice, Law Enforcementrelated provisions. 21st century cures act provided 1 billion for grants for states the first half made available in april of 2017 to be administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental HealthServices Administration, or samhsa. My state of oregon received a 6. 5 million in grants to help combat the epidemic that plagued our great state. However, so much more work needs to be done. Since the passage of c. A. R. A. , and the 21st centuries cure act, other issues have emerged in the fight againsto opioids such as the proliferation of fentanyl and its analogs. And then there are allegations of pilldumping and the practice of patient brokering. My own district, ive heard the all too familiar tale of the mother whose son was prescribed opioids and he became addicted. About parent shared with me the sist story of his sister, a nurse, who died of overdose after years of suffering from addiction, bouncing between pharmacies. He spoke about how better tracking and treatment could have helped catch his sisters problem earlier and perhaps made counseling more effective. As it was, she was only caught because two pharmacies in a small town happened to check with each other. You see, by then it was too late, though. These two stories may have come from oregon but theyre not exclusive to the beaver state. Theyre why were here today. Addressing the Opioid Epidemic requires an all hands on deck effort. Today well be hearing testimony and stories from our colleagues, both on and off the energy and Commerce Committee about what more can be done. And im looking forward to hearing feedback and input from both sides of the aisle to hear about whats working and whats not and find ways to complement our existing law and to address emerging issues. So with that, mr. Chairman, i appreciate everyone here today. With us taking time to participate. I look forward to hearing from all of my colleagues and together we must continue to fight this Opioid Crisis in america. And i yield back. The gentleman yields back. The chair thanks the gentleman. And, again, just to reiterate the format for today. Members on the energy and Commerce Committee are invited to either give testimony from the witness table or from the dais, whichever they prefer. So at this time, ill recognize the Ranking Member of the full committee, frank pallone, from new jersey for five minutes, please. Thank you, chairman burgess. Todays member day provides us the opportunity to hear from our colleagues about how the epidemic is uneekly affecting their districts, as well as to hear their ideas of additional efforts and funding that is needed to help individuals, families and communities affected by this crisis. Like all communities across the country, the Opioid Epidemic is having devastating consequences in my home state. Drug overdoses are the leading causes of accidental death in new jersey. According to the centers for Disease Control and prevention, there was a 16 increase in drug Overdose Deaths in new jersey between 2014 and 2015, and last year drug Overdose Deaths topped more than 2,000. And unfortunately, were continuing to see increased deaths from this tragic epidemic. Im proud of the steps this committee has taken to respond to this tragic epidemic that is taking the lives of 91 americans every day. Im pleased that we Work Together in a bipartisan fashion to pay us the comprehensive addiction and recovery act or c. A. R. A. We also Work Together to create the state targeted response to the Opioid CrisisGrant Program, as part of the 21st century cures act. And this Grant Program provides a billion dollars to states to address the Opioid Epidemic. There were positive and well, these were positive and bipartisan laws that we produced in 2016 during the last year of the obama administration. That was 2016. 2017 has been much different. Congressional republicans have spent much of this year trying to repeal the Affordable Care act, which would have prevented millions of americans from getting the help that they need to treat opioid use disorders. And the repeal legislation passed here in the house would have allowed insurers to once again discriminate against people with preexisting conditions, such as opioid use disorders. The republicanpassed bill would also have allowed states to waive essential health benefits, including Mental Health and Substance Use treatment. Thankfully, those repeal efforts have failed to date. So as we move forward, whats clear is that individuals with Substance Use disorder, their families and their communities need us to Work Together to do more. Despite some progress here in washington, the epidemic has shown no signs of relenting, and thats why we must continue to support and increase funding for Proven HealthPublic Health approaches spanning the entire spectrum from crisis to recovery, including expanding access to medicationassisted treatment. Those efforts should include more funding and we should extend the Grant Program so that we can expand even further peoples access to opioid abuse treatment, prevention and Recovery Support services. So i look forward to hearing from my house colleagues and continuing to Work Together in a bipartisan fashion to help our country respond to this crisis. I yield back, mr. Chairman. The gentleman yields back. Chair thanks the gentleman. The chair recognizes the chairman of the subcommittee, mr. Upton, for three minutes. Thank you, mr. Chairman. This is very important, this member day, as were able to all share our personal experiences on a crisis that has been plaguing our nation over the last couple of years. Opioid addiction and abuse. This silent epidemic has for sure torn through families, neighborhoods and communities both certainly in my home state of michigan. But we know across the country, as well. In fact, in 2015, there were nearly 2,000 opioid abuserelated deaths