Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senators Push HHS To Allow Doctors To Treat More Patients With Addiction Treatment Medication
Huffington Post: Senators Urge Feds To Expand Access To Opioid Addiction Medication
A group of 22 senators, including Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, think the Department of Health and Human Services could do more to increase access to a medication viewed by the medical establishment as the best chance for opioid addicts to make a lasting recovery. Under current federal regulations, doctors can treat only 30 patients at a time in the first year they’re certified to prescribe buprenorphine (commonly sold in the U.S. as Suboxone), a medication that can reduce opioid cravings and ward off harsh withdrawal symptoms. (Cherkis, 6/1)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Former Heroin Addict Helps Users Get Treatment
For the first time in a decade, the U.S. death rate is up across the entire population. Researchers at the National Center for Health Statistics say the increase was driven in part by more people dying from drug overdoses. One Seattle woman could have been among that statistic. She was homeless and addicted to heroin. Today, she’s no longer using, but helps those who are. (de Luna, 6/1)
