Despite the passage of the Rubio-led Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in 2021, a recent report has revealed that two Xinjiang-based pharmaceutical entities continue to exploit American laws for profit. To uphold the UFLPA, the U.S. Food and Drug...
NOTICIAS
Últimas Noticias
ICYMI: Rubio: Cancel Trade Benefits for Offshoring
Cancel Trade Benefits for Offshoring U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) October 31, 2024 Newsweek Last month, President Donald Trump made waves by threatening to impose a tariff on John Deere for moving production to Mexico…. [A]s I said in my own letter to John Deere...
Rubio, Scott Urge Biden-Harris Admin to Address IV Fluid Shortage
Hurricane Helene significantly damaged North Carolina’s Baxter International IV fluid manufacturing plant. Baxter is responsible for producing more than half of the country’s IV fluid supply. This closure has strained the medical community, leading to delays in...
Rubio, Franklin, Colleagues Demand Compensation for Agricultural Land
Hurricanes Helene and Milton brought high winds, flooding, and damage across Florida. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services estimates the total crop and infrastructure losses range from $1.5 to $2.5 billion. The State of Florida has requested...
Rubio, Scott Support Seminole Tribe’s Major Disaster Request
Due to Hurricane Milton's impact on the Seminole Tribe of Florida, their communities, and property, the tribe requested a major disaster declaration to assist in their response and recovery efforts. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) sent a...
Rubio Requests Investigation Into Potentially Manipulated Research on Puberty Blockers
A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study failed to publish its findings on the effects of puberty blockers on children years after completing the research. The researchers are concerned their findings would justify puberty blocker bans for minors. Political...
Rubio Secures Provision to Eliminate Patient Brokering in Opioids Package
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) announced today that his legislation, the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, which he introduced with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), to help stop payments to middlemen referring patients to illicit sober homes and treatment centers—increasingly a problem in South Florida—has been included in the opioids package. The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the bill tomorrow, and the Senate will follow suit in the near future.
In May, Rubio also introduced the Sober Home Fraud Detection Act, which would help states, law enforcement, private insurers and patients identify potentially illicit sober home providers to ensure those who need treatment are able to do so from legitimate facilities while also preventing health care fraud. The Sober Home Fraud Detection Act was also included in the opioids package.
“Too many Americans suffering from the opioid crisis are exploited by illicit actors seeking to make a profit from addiction,” Rubio said. “My provision in this opioid package is vital in stopping the cash flow for patient brokers involved with illicit sober homes and treatment facilities, an issue that has long plagued South Florida and cost too many lives. I thank my colleagues in the House and Senate for their help in securing this important provision, and I look forward to its passage in the overall opioid package so that we can begin to take real steps toward solving the opioid crisis.”
“It is critical that our federal partners have the tools available to assist local efforts to combat the fraud and abuse that has plagued the legitimate treatment industry. We appreciate the support from Senators Rubio and Klobuchar to empower federal prosecutors to go after corrupt kickbacks to patient brokers,” said Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, who leads the Sober Homes Task Force in South Florida and brought the issue of patient brokering to Senator Rubio’s attention.
“As the leading non-profit provider of addiction treatment in the country, we are grateful to Senators Rubio and Klobuchar for addressing the unethical practice of patient brokering,” said Mark Mishek, President and CEO of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. “No other area of healthcare allows patient leads to be bought and sold, and the addiction treatment industry should be no exception. Far too many vulnerable people and families suffering from substance use disorder are being harmed by unethical marketing and business practices that turn patients into commodities. This provision of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act takes important steps to help ensure quality, ethical care for all who seek addiction treatment.”