Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Opioid Bill's Fate In Peril As Republicans Rebuff Dems' $920M Funding Proposal
The New York Times: Congress Splits Over Bill Aimed At Nation’s Opioid Epidemic
A partisan feud over money to treat drug addicts split a House and Senate conference committee on Wednesday as it considered legislation to address the nation’s deadly opioid epidemic, imperiling a bill many had hoped would be one of this Congress’s most significant accomplishments. Democrats on the conference committee lost in their effort to insist that the bill include at least $920 million to help pay for additional treatment of addicts, most of whom cannot find or afford the treatment they need. (Harris, 7/6)
Reuters: U.S. Republicans Reject Democratic Funding Proposals For Opioids
Republican lawmakers in U.S. Congress on Wednesday rejected two Democratic amendments to provide nearly $1 billion in funding for bipartisan legislation intended to combat America's opioid epidemic, aides said. The rejection, which came during a meeting of U.S. House of Representatives and Senate negotiators on the measure, could undermine Democratic support for final legislation that could come up for a vote in the House of Representatives as early as Friday. (Morgan, 7/6)
The Washington Post: Political Divide Over Funding Threatens Fate Of Popular Opioid Bill
The bill is popular with members in both parties and several lawmakers in tough re-election contests are eager to promote it back home as evidence they are getting things done in Washington. But Democrats have long pushed for the additional funding arguing that without it the bill will not deliver on its promise to help stem the growing abuse of opioids across the country. “We are debating a bill to address the opioid epidemic. It should include the funding necessary to actually fight that epidemic,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a member of the conference committee that drafted the bill. (Demirjian, 7/6)
The Hill: Republicans Unanimously Reject Nearly $1B In New Funding For Opioid Bill
While the conference committee can proceed without Democratic support, the staunch opposition will become problematic when the bill reaches the Senate floor, where Democrats can block the bill from going forward. (Ferris, 7/6)
Morning Consult: Opioid Conference Fails: Lawmakers Agree On Everything But Money
This sets up a familiar scenario. In the past two weeks, a House-Senate conference report to fund the Zika virus passed along partisan lines in the House and then failed along partisan lines in the Senate. (Owens, 7/6)
Politico Pro: Republicans Vote Down Funding In CARA Conference
Unlike the conference committee on Zika funding, Democrats have been heavily engaged in drafting the details of the conference report on the opioid legislation. And more than 100 advocacy groups support passing the drug abuse bill with or without funding, even though they have lobbied hard for more money. (Norman, 7/6)
The Hill: White House Stops Short Of Veto Threat Against Opioid Bill
The White House on Wednesday slammed congressional Republicans for voting down new funding for bipartisan opioid legislation but stopped just short of saying President Obama would veto the legislation...[Press Secretary Josh] Earnest accused Republicans of being “deaf” to calls from Democrats and public health experts who say that more funding is necessary to combat the opioid epidemic. (Fabian, 7/6)
In other news about the opioid epidemic —
The Boston Globe: Mass. Doctors Are Prescribing Fewer Opioids
Many doctors in Massachusetts sharply curtailed prescriptions for opioids over the past 18 months, according to new data that suggest the pipeline for drugs that fueled the state’s deadly opioid-abuse crisis may be shrinking. Athenahealth, a Watertown company that provides electronic medical records, released an analysis Wednesday showing that opioid prescriptions in the physician practices that use its software fell 25 percent since the beginning of 2015. That was a steeper drop than for medical practices nationwide, which recorded a 13 percent decline. (Freyer, 7/7)
The Washington Post: Calvin Johnson Says Painkillers Were Handed Out ‘Like Candy’ To NFL Players
Sometime soon, the NFL may have to explain in court how its team’s medical staffs responsibly dispensed painkillers to players in the league. According to Calvin Johnson, powerful and addictive opioids were, until recently, handed out “like candy.” ... “If you were hurting, then you could get them. It was nothing,” Johnson added. “I mean, if you needed Vicodin, call out, ‘My ankle hurt,’ you know. ‘I need, I need it. I can’t, I can’t play without it,’ or something like that. It was simple. That’s how easy it was to get them. So if you were dependent on them, they were readily available.” (Bieler, 7/6)
New Hampshire Public Radio: New Rules Open The Door For More People Who Need Addiction Treatment Drug
Physicians licensed to prescribe a medication that reduces cravings and eases withdrawal for people addicted to heroin and other opioids will now be allowed to treat more patients. Under new rules announced Wednesday by the Obama administration, physicians who prescribe Suboxone can treat 275 patients at a time, up from 100. (Wallstin, 7/6)
Kaiser Health News: Gingrich, Kennedy Take On Opioid Addiction — The KHN Conversation
Politics are more polarized and acrimonious than ever. But one public health concern — the nation’s epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse — is uniting some unexpected bedfellows. There is Patrick Kennedy, former Democratic congressman from Rhode Island, who has since made a career of advocating for mental health treatment since leaving the House in 2011. And there is Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker of the House of Representatives and 2012 presidential candidate, who recently has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick for Donald Trump. (Luthra, 7/7)
