Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Consultants Help Steer Families Through Labyrinth Of Expensive Addiction Treatment
The New York Times: Finding The Best Addiction Treatment, With Hired Help
Treatment for drug and alcohol addictions is incredibly expensive, often rising to tens of thousands of dollars a month for residential treatment. And even people who have good insurance that will pay for such programs often face limits on how much that insurance will cover. Yet people like the Frawleys, who could afford treatment for their daughter, still face the issue of finding the right treatment. That is where a small group of people have stepped up as consultants to guide families through the many options for treatment. (Sullivan, 4/1)
NPR: How A Painkiller Designed To Deter Abuse Helped Spark An HIV Outbreak
When Kevin Polly first started abusing Opana ER, a potent prescription opioid painkiller, he took pills — or fractions of pills — and crushed them into a fine powder, then snorted it. But the drug's manufacturer, Endo Pharmaceuticals, reformulated Opana in 2012. The new pills featured a coating that was intended to make them more difficult to abuse by crushing them into powder or dissolving them. Polly discovered he could no longer snort the medicine in the pill, to which he had become addicted. But he and other Opana users soon found a way to remove the drug's hard coating and receive Opana's powerful dose all at once: injection. He says he never anticipated what would happen next. In early 2015, Polly tested positive for HIV. (Dreisbach, 4/1)
The Tennessean: Money An Issue As Obama, Congress Tackle Opioid Epidemic
Addiction to prescription painkillers and related heroin use, longtime plagues on local communities, are now enough of a national epidemic that Congress and the White House are responding with new ideas for prevention and treatment. President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced a series of regulations to improve treatment and insurance coverage for opioid addiction, provide more medicine for reversing overdoses, better train doctors on prescribing painkillers and combat heroin trafficking. (Troyan, 4/3)
And media outlets offer coverage of the drug crisis from these states —
New Hampshire Public Radio: N.H. Lawmakers Take Up Bills To Loosen Up Drug Laws
On Tuesday Senate lawmakers will weigh in for the first time on a bill to decriminalize heroin residue found on used needles. Currently it’s a felony to possess a dirty syringe. The aim of the bill is to allow people to turn in used needles for clean ones at designated places in hopes of preventing the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C. (Sutherland, 4/4)
USA Today/The Tennessean: Opioid Abuse Has Death Grip On Tennessee
For many of the millions of Americans caught in the growing scourge of opioid abuse, the outcome is far worse. And few places have been hit harder than Tennessee. The state said at least 1,263 Tennesseans died from opioid overdose in 2014, the most recent figure available and one that points to rampant abuse, misuse and addiction impacting millions of Tennesseans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nationally, 47,055 people died, up 6.5% from 2013. For every one person who dies there are 851 people in various stages of misuse, abuse and treatment, according to the CDC. That's at least 1,074,813 Tennesseans, or 1 in 6. More people died in 2014 from opioid overdose than in car accidents in Tennessee. (Fletcher, 4/3)
The Orlando Sentinel: UCF Medical School Boosts Opioid Rx Education
UCF College of Medicine is one of more than 60 medical schools in the nation to sign a pledge to require its medical students to take some form of education about prescribing pain medications like oxycodone, fentanyl and hydrocodone in order to graduate. The signing of the pledge comes as the Obama administration increases its efforts to curb the prescription pain medication abuse and heroin epidemic that's affecting many corners of the nation, including Central Florida. (Miller, 4/1)
The Washington Post: In Maryland, New Efforts To Fight Drug Addiction Are Taking Shape
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and the Democratic-controlled legislature are weighing options for tackling the fast-growing heroin epidemic that has taken root across the state and throughout the country. Many of the solutions focus on loosening criminal penalties for drug offenses and shifting more money — including the potential prison savings — to treatment and rehabilitation programs. (Hicks, 4/3)
