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State Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township, recently introduced two bills for his fellow lawmakers to consider. One deals with the fight against opioid addiction and the other seeks to allow patients more control in their end-of-life care.
Encouragement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration spurred Yaw to reintroduce a bill to require insurance companies to provide abuse-deterrent opioids. The drugs will prevent people from cutting, dissolving, crushing the pills into powder or melting the pills to inject with needles.
"It is widely known that a majority, roughly 80 percent, of heroin addicts can trace their addiction back to prescription opioids," Yaw said. "I am hoping that broader availability of abuse-deterrent opioids can aid in the fight to prevent abuse and misuse of opioid medications."
Yaw said the issue "is skyrocketing out of control" and information was provided by law enforcement, health care professionals, treatment providers and educators on how best to address the problem.
As chairman of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, Yaw has introduced several opioid-related bills over the past few legislative sessions. He introduced this bill during the previous session, but it failed to get a final vote in the Senate.
Another bill recently introduced by Yaw deals with the health care wishes of patients with serious health conditions.
Yaw's bill, coupled with other legislation sponsored by Rep. Bryan Cutler, R-Quarryville, will "improve the quality of care people receive at the end of life," Yaw said.
He introduced the legislation during a recent press conference at the state Capitol. Yaw is working in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Medical Society to enable patients to pre-plan some aspects of their care.
Were the bill to pass, an individual's wishes regarding treatment would be applicable in emergency medical services, health care facilities, home care and hospice settings.
According to Charles Cutler, president of the medical society, advanced directives often only identify a surrogate health care decision maker and lack specific patient preferences in the of event of unforeseen medical conditions.