Congresswoman Walorski names opioid bill after slain Mishawaka doctor

Dr. Todd Graham (Photo Supplied / WNDU)

There’s now a bill named after the Michiana doctor who was shot and killed after refusing to prescribe opioid for a patient last summer.

It’s called the Dr. Todd Graham Pain Management Improvement Act.

Congresswoman Jackie Walorski introduced the legislation which would reduce over-prescribing of opioids by examining ways to expand the use of non-opioid alternatives in Medicare. Walorski says the bill would help break down barriers to non-opioid treatments and give doctors better tools to prevent addiction.

It would also require the Department of Health and Human Services to study and submit recommendations to Congress on how to improve access to non-opioid pain management, as well as expand coverage and payment for non-drug options that minimize the risk of substance abuse.