{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=E731BFDD-39E6-46D9-8EF7-E14F3AB7D883", "As Senate Passes 21st Century CURES, Portman Welcomes New Opioid Funding", "2016-12-07", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "OH", "Rob Portman", "P000449", "www.portman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Includes $1 Billion to Fight Opioid Abuse & Portman-Led Measures to Strengthen Medicare & Medicaid\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) today praised Senate passage of the \u201c21st\u00a0Century Cures\u201d initiative, a $6.3 billion medical innovation package that is designed to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of new cures and treatments. \u00a0Portman urged that opioid funding be included in the package, and it includes $1 billion in new funding for state grants to fight opioid abuse.\u00a0 The measure also includes a number of Portman initiatives to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid.\u00a0 Following the passage of the bill, Senator Portman released the following statement:\r\n\u201cWith the Senate passing the 21st Century Cures initiative, we are one step closer to adding critical funding to combat the opioid epidemic that is gripping Ohio and the rest of our country. The additional $1 billion over two years to fight the heroin and prescription epidemic will complement the new CARA law and the additional funding I\u2019ve helped secure through the appropriations process.\u00a0 I\u2019m also pleased that we were able to include measures to help all Ohioans, and especially seniors and those with low incomes, by strengthening Medicare and Medicaid. I\u2019m working to deliver results for the people of Ohio, and I believe this bill will make a difference for them. I urge the president to sign it.\u201d\r\nNOTE: Following is a summary of notable provisions in the 21st Century Cures package, including at Portman\u2019s request: \u00a0\r\n \r\n$1 billion to fight opioid abuse. The bill includes additional opioid funding: $500 million annually over the next two years for state block grants that can be used for improving prescription drug monitoring programs, prevention, training for health care workers, and improving access to treatment for individuals struggling with a substance use disorder. This money would complement the increases in opioid funding Portman has secured through the annual appropriations process.\r\n \r\n \r\nEstablishes beneficiary equity in the hospital readmissions program (S. 688). This measure will minimize the disincentives for hospitals who serve a disproportionate number of sicker and poorer patients. This provision will improve the fairness of hospital readmissions penalties by taking into account the patients\u2019 socioeconomic and dual-eligible status to ensure that hospitals can continue to care for the most vulnerable patients.\u00a0 This benefits a majority of Ohio hospitals, especially those who serve a large number of low-income, vulnerable populations.\r\n \r\n \r\nContinues Medicare payment for hospital out-patient departments that were \u201cunder-development\u201d. This measure will provide critical relief to hospitals (including several throughout Ohio) that were in the middle of building facilities to serve patients in their communities when Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act in 2015. This provision ensures patients are able to maintain access to these facilities so they can continue to receive high-quality care in outpatient settings. \u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\nExempts designated cancer hospitals from Medicare payment reductions. This measure ensures patients are able to continue to receive cancer care from outpatient facilities in their community, benefitting the OSU James Cancer Hospital in Columbus.\r\n \r\n \r\nDelays the application of the competitive bidding program to complex rehabilitative technology wheelchair accessories (S. 2196). This measure ensures people with disabilities will continue to have access to the complex wheelchair accessories they rely on to live a fully-functioning life.\r\n \r\n \r\nProtects Medicare Advantage for all seniors (S. 2104). This measure would strengthen transparency and ensure that seniors can keep the Medicare Advantage (MA) plans they want by delaying CMS\u2019s authority to terminate certain MA plans because of the STARS rating system.\r\n \r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=E731BFDD-39E6-46D9-8EF7-E14F3AB7D883"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6368718352168798, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}