American Opioid Plague Steals $1 Trillion — Where are the Funds to Fight this Crisis?

(Summer 2018) The U.S. opioid epidemic drained over $1 trillion from the American economy between 2001 and 2017, said nonprofit health research group Altarum. The organization estimated that the growing crisis might leach away another $500 billion by 2020. Lost wages and reductions in workplace productivity sustained the hardest blow. Other losses came from decreased tax revenue caused by substance use disorders and premature deaths — the average age being around 40 when workers are in their prime. Still other factors include medical costs and an expanding need for the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone.

Witnessing the opioid toll in their states, both Democratic and Republican governors spoke before the Senate Health Committee in March, and some also discussed the issue with White House representatives. This concern is top-of-mind for the governors, most of whom are Republican. Their message to the Trump administration is clear; they do not want their names on a 2018 ballot without making concerted efforts for more treatment initiatives.

In response, President Trump is supporting efforts to make medication-assisted treatment more affordable and accessible.  The federal government has not previously discussed treatment and medical-assisted treatment. To that end, Congress added $1 billion in its government funding bill earmarked for kick-starting an opioid-treatment grant initiative. Trump’s administration said it will direct states to employ treatment methods, including medication, which are backed by clinical data.

The new federal spending measure also places states most affected by the opioid outbreak (including Ohio) at the front of the line for monetary aid. Of the $3 billion designated in the spending program, $1 billion is allocated to State Targeted Response Grants. Fifteen percent of these funds are set aside for Ohio and other states listed among those with the nation’s highest overdose statistics.

Also wrapped into the spending bill is $65 million to fund the INTERDICT Act. This legislation, approved by President Trump earlier in 2018, aims to stop the entry of drugs at our nation’s borders. These dollars will be used to purchase screening tools and opioid detection gear.

In addition to the spending package, this spring U.S. Representative Tim Ryan submitted the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act 2.0, which seeks approximately $800 million to combat the country’s rampant opioid and prescription drug abuse problem. Representative Ryan’s measure seeks

• $300 million for additional first-responder training and naloxone
• $300 million for more access to medication-assisted treatment
• $100 million for additional treatment for expecting and new mothers, along with centers that permit infants to stay on-site with their mothers
• $60 million to help states, hospitals and social services log, track and support babies, as well as their families, exposed to drugs
• $20 million to increase treatment courts for veterans
• $10 million to support a coast-to-coast education initiative regarding the hazards of prescription opioid misuse, fentanyl and heroin
• $10 million for a program that creates, assists and sustains youth recovery initiatives

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