03/09/2020
PAIN PATIENTS ALERT! IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!
Okla bills SB1918 & SB1512 are NOT being presented for a Vote on Senate Floor (Mar 12th) because there's "not enough interest to secure passing". These bills are VITAL in allowing Pain Practitioners to provide the level of care & treatment to sustain a quality of life the Chronic Pain Patients deserves.
PLEASE CONTACT your Okla legislators TODAY (& thru Wed) and ask that they SUPPORT these 2 bills!
Specific Action Needed: that Sen. Kim Davis (R), is that the bills.get add to the Agenda for a Floor Vote.
To Find Your State SENATOR:
http://www.oksenate.gov/FindMyLegislature.aspx?Address=&City=&Zip=
FULL List:
http://www.oksenate.gov/senators/
EMAILS:
http://www.oksenate.gov/email.aspx
LEADERSHIP TREE/Breakdown:
http://www.oksenate.gov/senators/
To Find Your State HOUSE REP :
https://okhouse.gov/Members/Default.aspx
WHY Support these 2 bills:
both are regarding Practitioners protection against Civil Liabilities & Criminal Prosecution provided...
- SB1918:.... as long as they prescribe within FDA Approved maximums.
- SB1512:... "Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede the provisions of Section 2-551" of Title 63, aka upholds & reinforces
existing laws.
ADD'L SPECIFIC ACTION REQUIRED:
ST Senator Kim David (R), Majority Floor Leader, representing Dist. 018 covering/serving portions of Cherokee, Mayes, Muskogee, Tulsa & Wagoner Counties needs to add both bills SB1918 & SB1512 to the Agenda for March 12th's Senate Floor Vote, abd to vote YES on passing the bills.
Davis' Website:
http://www.oksenate.gov/FindMyLegislature.aspx?Address=&City=&Zip=
BILLS HISTORY:
- SB1918 went before Health & Human Services Committee on FEB 17th and Passed unanimously.
Add'l SB1918 Details & History:
http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=SB1918&Session=2000
- SB1512 went before Judiciary Committee on FEB 25th and Passed 9 to 3, but there was lots of blow back. 3 that voted No asked questions, implied it was a loop hole & blanket immunity, would take away AG's ability to prosecute "even when drs are following all the rules", etc. Standridge offered to revisit some of the language to clear up any perceived loophole. VOTE:
Yea (For bill): Dahm, Howard, Leewright, Murdock, Paxton, Sharp, Weaver, Jech, Daniels
Nay (Against): Boren, Brooks, Floyd
AMENDED: Feb 25th (posted to website 3/6)
coming out of Judicial Committee:
1. TITLE has been stricken, remains without Title;
2. The "emergency clause" (last item in bill) also stricken - that would have made it law/go into affect upon Governor's signature vs November 1st (if passes & signed into law).
Important part of bill - sections "K-L" at bottom of page 7 remains untouched.
Add'l SB1512 Details & History:
http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=SB1512&Session=2000
Legislative Talking Points SB1512 &. SB1918
SB1918 & SB1512 are necessary to balance some of the recent overreaching actions that have been implemented based on an “Opioid Crisis” narrative that blames prescription opioids. Even though recent research¹ is proving that prescriptions are not the main contributing factor, pain patients and their practitioners are still the ones taking the brunt of the suffering and the affects of the majority of the unintended consequences. Under this false narrative multiple new laws, regulations, and guidelines were put into place at both federal and state levels, along with the Media placing the blame on Pain Prescribes for starting, or at least contributing to, the opioid crisis when the overwhelming majority of practitioners go to great lengths to minimize patient risks while still trying to provide some level of treatment that will allow their patients to experience a basic quality of life.
Even with all the new medical breakthroughs and discoveries every day in the field of medicine our medical professionals are still just "practicing medicine", and I emphasize "practice"… there is no absolutes or one treatment fits all; and Patients best interest is always served when their medical practitioners are allowed to treat each patient as the unique individuals they are to the best of the medical practitioners ability WITHOUT constantly being under attack. Previous to the past few years Practitioners were able to prescribe appropriate treatments that made it possible for many of their patients to continue to hold down a job and be contributing members of society. Where as now these same chronic pain patients can’t work, are unnecessarily suffering and barely getting by, and for the most part have been labeled and treated as Addicts. Pain Practitioners and their patients are being harassed by insurance companies requiring additional justification and documentations², national chain pharmacies are denying & refusing to fill Schedule II scripts, in some cases prescribers' are being banned, pain Practitioners are being defamed in and by the media, and yet are still expected to practice medicine with the daily threat that their freedom is about to be taken away.
Although Title 63 may already provide for some allowances for doctors and other prescribing practitioner to do their jobs by recognizing how complex it is to take care of chronic pain patients, SB1512 will provide the needed reinforcement in the law thus letting doctors provide the proper care in the best interest of their patients including the customized treatments their patients desperately require. SB1512 will provide a step in the right direction to correct the misinformation, empowering Pain Practitioners that have dedicating their medical careers to easing the suffering and improving the quality of life of their chronic pain patients.
Oklahoma State Senate's Website where you can follow the introduction of bills, committee actions, and votes on the bills.
