Opioid Bill Gives Endangered Republicans A Health Care Talking Point On The Campaign Trail

Politico: Republicans Cast Opioid Bill As Their Health Care Achievement
Endangered Republicans are running ads defending their achievements on health care — but it’s opioids they are boasting about, not the toxic fight about Obamacare and pre-existing conditions. GOP incumbents in Kentucky, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania have run advertising recently focused on their efforts to bolster access to treatment, prevent overdoses and stamp out lethal synthetic painkillers like fentanyl. The conservative American Action Network has chipped in $5 million worth of digital and television ads in battleground districts, touting the GOP's commitment to fighting the epidemic. (Demko and Ehley, 9/22)

CQ: Kinks Still Being Worked Out On Opioid Bill
Both the Senate and the House have passed bipartisan legislative packages to combat the opioid crisis. With the Senate passing its bill (HR 6), 99-1, on Sept. 17, the two chambers will now need to go to conference to hammer out the differences. But the road to law is likely to be slippery, with key policy issues separating the two bills. Senate aides have said the chamber is nonetheless pursuing an aggressive timeline to begin reconciling the bills as early as this month. (Raman, 9/24)

The Associated Press: Groups Say Medicare Discounts Threatened In Opioids Bill
Consumer and health care groups are scrambling to block what they say is a move by the pharmaceutical industry to commandeer must-pass opioids epidemic legislation as a vehicle for rolling back drugmaker discounts to Medicare beneficiaries with high prescription costs. Republicans said Friday nothing has been decided in behind-the-scenes discussions. But Henry Connelly, a spokesman for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, called the effort a "Republican attempt to hijack a bipartisan effort on opioids funding to ram through a multibillion-dollar handout to Big Pharma." (9/21)

Boston Globe: At Angell Veterinary Hospital, A Grim Sign Of Human Opioid Crisis
Dr. Virginia Sinnott has practiced veterinary medicine for 15 years, but guarding against opioid abuse by pet owners had rarely been part of her job. Until recently. In a sign of the desperation behind the drug epidemic, Sinnott and many other veterinarians believe that more pet owners are using their cats and dogs as a ploy to obtain opioids for themselves. (9/24)

Philadelphia Inquirer: U.S. Surgeon General In Philly: Expand Needle Exchange Programs Instead Of Opening Safe Injection Sites
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams, in Philadelphia on Saturday to participate in a march to combat stigma against drug addiction, said the Trump administration has made its position on safe injection sites clear: Despite the city's efforts to sanction a site where people can use drugs under medical supervision in order to prevent overdoses, federal officials believe the measure is a violation of federal law. (Whelan, 9/22)

Columbus Dispatch: Fentanyl Drives Ohio's Overdose Deaths To Record
Fatal drug overdoses kept rising in Ohio last year to a record 4,854, a 20 percent increase over 2016′s toll. It was the eighth year in a row that drug deaths increased, according to data on unintentional drug deaths reported to the Ohio Department of Health. (Candisky, 9/23)

Arizona Republic: Opioid Treatment In Arizona: How To Help Someone With Opioid Addiction
Loved ones struggle with figuring out exactly how to help, from initially broaching the topic to navigating endless internet searches about treatment possibilities and inevitable set-backs. Though not exhaustive, what follows is a starting point that can help navigate the process of getting help, based on research and expert input compiled by The Arizona Republic. (Pohl, 9/23)