Last year 72,000 Americans died of drug overdoses. Yesterday, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed an opioid treatment bill that the U.S. House passed last week. It now goes on to the President, who has indicated strong support for the bill, for signing. (here)

The bill is a compilation of 70 individual measures and provides a fairly broad attack on the opioid crisis. The total cost of the legislation is $8.5 billion for one year, pending inclusion in the next federal budget. No funding has been allocated for subsequent years.

The final bill combines measures from both the House and Senate:

• Aid for the U.S. Post Office to prevent illicit drug traffic (primarily fentanyl from other countries) from entering the U.S.;
• Eases restrictions on medical personal prescribing medical treatment for overdoses;
• Increases communication between U.S. Customs and the FDA;
• Expands research on non-addictive pain killers;
• Limits the number of narcotic pills providers can prescribe at one time;
• Reduces drug manufacturing quotas;
• Increases Medicare funding for the use of telemedicine for the remote prescribing of overdose treatments;
• More methadone treatment centers funded by Medicaid;
• Insurance parity between mental and physical health;
• Gives Medicaid money to treatment centers with more than 16 beds.

Criticism of the bill continues to revolve around the “lack of funding.” Advocates relate the opioid crisis to the battle against HIV/AIDs and propose allocating $100 billion over 10 years to fight the drug overdose crisis. (here)

Elected officials, and the country in general, must decide the priorities of government where taxpayer money and resources are limited. With 72,000 deaths last year, clearly the opioid crisis should be a priority. This may very well require broad-based entitlement reform, returning programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and food stamps to true safety-net programs.