The opioid epidemic continues to devastate Oregon, with overdose deaths reaching 1,833 in 2023 alone. That’s 450 more than the previous year.

While much of the public focus has been on illicit opioid use, we must not overlook a critical factor fueling this crisis: the overprescription of opioids for pain management. Too often, opioid addiction begins with a legal prescription, given to patients after surgery or injury, without sufficient consideration of safer, equally effective alternatives.

As a rare disease and transplant patient, I have firsthand experience navigating pain management after surgeries and medical procedures. Managing pain is not optional — it is essential for maintaining quality of life. Yet patients seeking safer, non-opioid options face unnecessary barriers. Transplant patients, for example, cannot take NSAIDs and often require alternative pain relief options. However, disparities in insurance policies make non-opioid treatments harder to access and burdened with excessive administrative hurdles — while opioids remain the easiest and most accessible option. This imbalance must change.

Senate Bill 598 in the Oregon Legislature is a crucial step toward patient-centered care. It ensures that insurance companies apply the same coverage rules for non-opioid pain management options as they do for opioids. If passed, this legislation will remove financial barriers, eliminate excessive red tape like prior authorization and step therapy, and empower health care providers to prescribe the most appropriate treatment for each patient — without defaulting to opioids. By leveling the playing field, SB 598 would expand access to safer pain management options, reduce opioid dependence and help curb addiction before it starts.

The need for this reform is urgent. Millions of Americans become persistent opioid users each year following surgery, not because they seek opioids, but because they were prescribed them when safer, non-addictive treatments were unavailable or unaffordable. Older adults are particularly vulnerable; since 2012, opioid-related deaths among seniors have increased by 63%. Our health care system should not be steering patients toward addiction simply because non-opioid alternatives are more expensive or harder to access.

Research shows that expanding access to non-opioid treatments can reduce opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose deaths — saving lives and lowering health care costs. SB 598 is a commonsense policy that would give patients real choices for pain management while helping to curb the overprescription of opioids in Oregon.

The opioid crisis is not just a public health emergency — it is a preventable tragedy. We must prioritize upstream prevention by ensuring that safe, effective and non-addictive pain management options are as accessible and affordable as opioids. Passing SB 598 is a crucial step in the right direction.

I urge Oregon lawmakers to support this critical legislation. Let’s take action now to protect patients, reduce opioid dependence, and create a healthier future for Oregonians.

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Aimee Adelmann of Portland is a transplant recipient and patient advocate.