Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Financial Burden Of Opioid Epidemic's Smallest Victims Often Falling On Already Strained Hospitals
Crain's Chicago Business: In Withdrawal: Treating The Babies Of Illinois' Opioid Crisis
Zabian Halliburton was born across the southern Illinois border on New Year's Day, arriving into the world at 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 21 inches. By his second night, he was in withdrawal from the cocktail of meth and heroin his mother used while pregnant, as well as the methadone treatment she relied on to try to get clean. He spent the first week of his life weaning off drugs. “He just turned red,” his mother, LaTanya Halliburton, 34, recalls. She's sitting inside a playroom while Zabian sips a bottle at the West Loop's Haymarket Center, one of the few places in Illinois where mothers and their kids can stay together during addiction treatment. “He was screaming and sweating like crazy.” (Schorsch, 3/26)
Stat: Why Houston Wants Nothing To Do With The Massive National Opioid Lawsuit
Harris County is one of at least two dozen counties, cities, and towns pursuing cases in state court apart from the national litigation. They are drawn to the local judges and juries in their home courts, experts say, and fear getting lost in the crowd of plaintiffs in the national case, particularly if claims brought by states are eventually going to be considered in a global settlement. But there are risks, too, including a loss of influence in negotiating that potential settlement and a lack of resources to wage a legal battle against deep-pocketed defendants. (Joseph, 3/27)
The Associated Press: Dentist Group Puts Teeth In Push To Curb Opioid Painkillers
The American Dental Association wants dentists to drastically cut back on prescribing opioid painkillers. The association announced a new policy Monday that "essentially says eliminate opioids from your arsenal if at all possible," said Dr. Joseph Crowley, the group's president. The Chicago-based group represents around 161,000 dentists. (Tanner, 3/26)
Boston Globe: Despite Setback, Advocates For Addiction Treatment In Prison Press Ahead
A plan to give Massachusetts prisoners access to all medications that treat addiction was removed from the final version of the landmark criminal justice bill, but advocates intend to seek the Legislature’s approval via another route. The proposal would have made Massachusetts only the second state, after Rhode Island, to provide opioid-addicted inmates the full array of treatments, including methadone and buprenorphine (often known by the trade name Suboxone). (Freyer, 3/26)
The Hill: GOP Chairman Introduces Draft Bills To Curb Opioid Use
Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) released discussion drafts Monday of legislation aimed at curbing the overprescribing of opioids and stopping a powerful synthetic opioid from coming into the country illegally. The draft bills are aimed at bolstering the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) capacity to respond to the opioid crisis. They come as the Senate Health Committee is working to begin marking up legislation this spring to combat the opioid crisis, which is killing more people per year than vehicle crashes. (Roubein, 3/26)
CQ: Alexander Introduces Two Opioid Bills
The top Republican on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee introduced two draft bills on Monday that would give the Food and Drug Administration more tools to combat the opioid crisis. The bills from Sen. Lamar Alexander would change how opioids are dispensed and grant new authorities for seizing drugs at the border. (Raman, 3/26)
