Earlier this year, Congress passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (CARA), but did not authorize funds for the policies it created. Shortly after that, the White House requested $920 million that would expand access to treatment in states as part of a larger effort to combat the opioid epidemic – Congress has not acted on that request.
Since passing CARA, Congressional Democrats have expressed concern surrounding the lack of funding to the policies the bill authorized. Senate Democrats, including Sen. Wyden, expressed frustration when only $7 million was provided in the legislation after efforts to produce an amendment that would deliver offsets to cover the full funding request.
On October 12, 2016, Senator Ron Wyden released a report that outlines the consequences of underfunding treatment for opioid addiction. According to Senator Wyden, “Congress’ approach to funding opioid addiction treatment is nothing short of legislative malpractice. There is bipartisan agreement that the opioid epidemic has to be confronted now. Yet, with dozens of Americans dying from an opioid overdose every day, Congress is breaking its promise to families around the country by not providing every resource available. The time for a ‘down payment’ has long passed.”
In his press release announcing the report, Senator Wyden referred to a study published by the Journal of American Medicine that showed nearly eighty percent of Americans suffering from opioid addiction are unable to access the treatment they need, especially in rural areas across the country.
Senator Wyden, who represents constituents in Oregon, stated,
“Sadly, Oregonians are no strangers to the human toll of drug use and addiction devastating families and communities. I’m extremely disheartened that Congress has closed up shop yet again without acting on its core promise to provide essential funding for proven opioid addiction treatment and prevention efforts. Until states receive real investments in these programs, Congress has failed its job. Families in Oregon and across the country deserve far better.”
Sen. Wyden’s report addresses two key challenges: (1) the lack of available treatment facilities and services across the country, and (2) the barriers patients face when treatment facilities or services are actually available. Additionally, the report details case studies in five states struggling with high rates of opioid addiction, including Wyden’s home state of Oregon, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire.
The report notes that “states are doing all they can to fight the epidemic, but as it stands now they do not have the money to build that capacity.” It then issues a call to action for Congress – “It is time for Congress to act. Every day Congress does not do so, another 78 people die waiting for someone to answer their call for help.”
According to Senator Wyden, if the requested funding were provided, it would help states like Oregon battle the opioid epidemic, by allowing them to establish additional treatment centers, to provide life-saving anti-overdose medication, and to train medical personnel to increase the number of those being treated.
The report includes appendices, which provide for a detailed breakdown of how much each state would receive under President Obama’s $920 million proposal; a justification of how the $920 million will be used, including eligible activities; and a summary of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, “Increases in Drug and Opioid Overdose Deaths – United States, 2000-2014”. At the end of the report is a lengthy list of footnotes, which provide additional reading for interested parties.
Pushing for additional federal money to go towards combating the opioid epidemic has been a top issue for Democrats in political office. When Congress comes back to work, and a new president elected, it is more likely than not this issue will rear its head once again.