OPENING REMARKS OF CHAIRMAN COFFMAN

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, made the following remarks, as prepared for delivery, on the Subcommittee's joint hearing titled “Military Health System Reform: Pain Management, Opioids Prescription Management and Reporting Transparency.” For testimony and to watch the hearing click here.  

"I want to welcome everyone to the Military Personnel Subcommittee’s hearing on Military Health System reform for pain management, opioids prescription management and reporting transparency.  Our panel, includes the Director of the Defense Health Agency and the Director of Mental Health Policy and Oversight for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.   

They are here to address opioid abuse an important problem that has affected every Congressional District in the United States. The opioid epidemic in the United States claims roughly 116 people from drug overdoses every day; 42,249 people died from overdosing on opioids in 2016; with an estimated cost of over $504 billion.   

With the military being a vital subset of the overall population that may encounter stresses related to deployment, training and family separations, understanding the magnitude of opioid abuse and the challenges related to overall pain management is a critical part of the Military Personnel Subcommittee’s congressional oversight efforts.  

We are here today to understand the scope of the opioid abuse issue in the military and with non-active duty TRICARE beneficiaries.  Our panel will also address policy reform on opioids from a strategic enterprise perspective and the Department of Defense model for pain management. 

The subcommittee is also concerned with the Department of Defense’s efforts to ensure reporting transparency with State Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs).   We understand there have been some challenges with developing a PDMP model that balances military related cybersecurity and operational concerns with the need for data transparency with non-military treatment facility clinicians and pharmacists that are serving TRICARE beneficiaries accessing multiple points of health care services."