Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE NEW IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • COVID-19
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Digital Health
  • Insights
    • ACA 10 Years After
    • Best Practices
    • Special Reports
    • Innovations
  • Data/Lists
    • Rankings/Lists
    • Interactive Databases
    • Data Points
  • Op-Ed
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Awards
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
    • Women in Healthcare
    • - Luminaries
    • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
    • - Leaders to Watch
    • - Luminaries
    • - Top 25 Women Leaders
    • - Women to Watch
  • Events
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Transformation Summit
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Strategic Marketing
    • - Virtual Health
  • Listen
    • Podcast - Next Up
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • MORE +
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Government
September 30, 2020 04:45 PM

Federal funds to fight opioid crisis don't meet demand

Steven Ross Johnson
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    iStock

    Current federal funding levels to combat the opioid crisis do not meet the alarming demand brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report.

    The Bipartisan Policy Center on Wednesday released a report that found federal opioid funding grew only 3.2% in fiscal year 2019, for a total of $7.6 billion.

    Three-quarters of that funding went toward treatment, recovery and prevention programs in states, with the rest dedicated to law enforcement. That marks a departure from the "War on Drugs" approach taken by most states for the past 40 years that mostly involved increasing prison sentences for both drug dealers and users.

    The analysis also found Medicaid coverage of medication-assisted therapies like buprenorphine and naltrexone and the opioid overdose-reversal medication naloxone grew by 15% to nearly $1.6 billion in 2019.

    Despite those gains, the research found the nation's treatment system is woefully inadequate to meet the current demand, estimating only 10% of individuals with substance use disorder issues are receiving appropriate support.

    In a panel discussion held Wednesday, Dr. Anand Parekh, chief medical advisor at BPC, said while federal funding remained stable and was allocated to those counties with the highest number of overdose deaths, it was difficult to determine whether it was helping those at highest risk of overdose, like the homeless, the imprisoned and pregnant women.

    "Currently, we have no proper mechanism for evaluating the effectiveness of federal investments, and the opioid crisis is getting worse," Parekh said.

    The report provided case studies of six states with higher than average overdose death rates in 2018, which included Arizona, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Tennessee, and Washington, and found they had shortages in the number of providers able to administer medication-assisted treatment. Vulnerable populations in particular had less access to healthcare professionals who could legally prescribe buprenorphine, federal regulations require clinicians to undergo specialized training to prescribe and then are limited to administering to a maximum of 275 patients after the first year of prescribing.

    The report recommended removing the buprenorphine prescribing restrictions and the waiver certification process. It also called for increased coordination between states and federal regulators on harm reduction services like syringe exchange programs, and for Congress to remove its funding ban on syringes. In 2016, lawmakers lifted funding restrictions on needle exchange programs, like administrative costs, but kept a funding ban on the actual syringes.

    "America must address the changing complexion—and complexity—of the addiction epidemic," said Regina LaBelle, former chief of staff of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and a BPC consultant.

    More than 40 states have seen an increase in deaths caused by opioids since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the American Medical Association.

    Experts say measures to stem the spread of COVID-19, including social distancing have put those with substance use disorder at higher risk. Many treatment providers have limited access to their facilities and stopped in-person therapy sessions and replaced them with online counseling. Those actions can isolate those with substance use disorder issues, putting them at higher risk of using more and those in recovery of relapsing.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Dr. Anthony Fauci
    Fauci: 'Pandemic phase' over for US, but COVID-19 still here
    greenhouse emission
    5 takeaways from HHS' environmental justice strategy
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare Alert: Sign up for this breaking news email to be kept in the loop as urgent healthcare business news unfolds.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • COVID-19
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Digital Health
    • Insights
      • ACA 10 Years After
      • Best Practices
      • Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • Data/Lists
      • Rankings/Lists
      • Interactive Databases
      • Data Points
    • Op-Ed
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Awards
      • Nominate/Eligibility
      • 100 Most Influential People
      • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
      • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
      • Excellence in Governance
      • Health Care Hall of Fame
      • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
      • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
      • Top 25 Innovators
      • Diversity in Healthcare
        • - Luminaries
        • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
        • - Leaders to Watch
      • Women in Healthcare
        • - Luminaries
        • - Top 25 Women Leaders
        • - Women to Watch
    • Events
      • Conferences
        • Transformation Summit
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Leadership Symposium
      • Galas
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Strategic Marketing
        • - Virtual Health
      • Webinars
    • Listen
      • Podcast - Next Up
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • MORE +
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing