Members will Address Fentanyl Crisis, Suicide Lifelines Breach, and Discrimination Against Individuals with Disabilities

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and incoming Health Subcommittee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) today announced the first legislative hearing in the Subcommittee on Health of the 118th Congress. It will focus on the illicit fentanyl poisoning crisis, the cybersecurity breach of suicide lifelines, and Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) measures. 

“There is inherent value and dignity in every human life. Yet, we see so many in society in without hope. At a time when deaths of despair were heightened, we learned of a hack of the 9-8-8 suicide lifeline, taking a critical lifeline out of commission for hours. From the families and loved ones of the 71,000 deaths related to synthetic opioids, like fentanyl and its analogues, to those with disabilities or a rare condition worried about being denied access to treatment because of dehumanizing calculations by the federal government—we hear you. Your lives, and the lives of your loved ones, are worth living.” 

Subcommittee on Health Hearing Entitled “Lives Worth Living: Addressing the Fentanyl Crisis, Protecting Critical Lifelines, and Combatting Discrimination Against Those with Disabilities.” 

WHAT: A hearing to discuss the illicit fentanyl poisoning crisis, the cybersecurity breach of suicide lifelines, and Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) measures.  

DATE: Wednesday, February 1, 2023 

TIME: 10:00 AM ET 

LOCATION: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building 

WITNESSES: Witnesses will be announced and are by invitation only. 

LEGISLATION UNDER DISCUSSION: The HALT Fentanyl Act, the 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act, the Block, Report, and Suspend Suspicious Shipments Act, and the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act 

This notice is at the direction of the Chair. The hearing will be open to the public and press, and will be livestreamed online at https://energycommerce.house.gov/. If you have any questions concerning the hearing, please contact Jolie Brochin with the Committee staff at Jolie.Brochin@mail.house.gov.