Policy Problem

Stakeholders

In the United States, approximately 50,000 people died from opioid-related overdoses in 2019. Opioid abuse and addiction, which includes prescription pain medications, heroin, and synthetic opioids like fentanyl, is a severe national epidemic that has a negative impact on public health as well as social and economic well-being. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that the Opioid Epidemic has impacted adults between ages 25-54 the most. 

Opioids can cause respiratory problems as a result of their pharmacological effects, and an opioid overdose can result in death. Drug use is responsible for roughly 500,000 fatalities worldwide. More than 70% of these deaths are caused by opioids, with overdose accounting for more than 30% of those deaths. 

FAIR Health's research, The Opioid Crisis Among the Privately Insured, detailed the epidemic's impact on healthcare services, citing a 3,203 percent increase in claim lines with an opioid dependency diagnosis from 2007 to 2014. The number of opioid-related emergency room visits and inpatient stays has increased considerably, as have the number of dangerous infections caused by opioid use, such as endocarditis and hepatitis C. Total hospital expenditures associated with opiate overdoses are projected to exceed $2 billion per year.

Risks of Indifference

The number of opioid overdoses has risen in various nations in recent years, owing in part to increased use of opioids for chronic pain management and the growing availability of very strong opioids on the illegal drug market. In the U.S., the number of persons dying from opioid overdose grew by 120 percent between 2010 and 2018, with synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl and its analogues, accounting for two-thirds of opioid-related overdose deaths in 2018. 

The treatment of opioid use disorder is predicted to become more difficult if the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Existing patients may not adhere to treatment and may relapse if their stress levels rise, and physician monitoring and drug programs may be undermined as clinics and physician practices struggle to meet patient demands.

Opioid treatment centers were not eligible for any of the $50 billion in cash set aside for Medicare providers when lawmakers approved the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March. As a result, the employees at these critical centers—often underfunded and understaffed—became ill or left to care for loved ones. 

Furthermore, job loss and illness have increased the likelihood of relapse and death among people already at risk of opioid addiction. A patient's ability to obtain a prescription for addiction-management medicines is a major issue. Many clinics, understandably, only give their patients one pill per day, but as the pandemic has necessitated physical separation and lack of physical touch, it has become increasingly difficult for people to obtain their prescription. Patients are discouraged from getting their daily dose because of huge queues and hours-long wait times. Only a few individuals are eligible for more than one dose per day, and only a few doctors are allowed to administer higher doses of opioid management medicine.

Partisan Conflict

Republicans and Democrats tend to agree that something should be done about the opioid crisis - but they disagree on how. 

The Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics provides us with an analysis of  state legislators opioid-related social media content that highlights partisan differences on the topic. Democratic legislators tend to focus their solutions around holding pharmaceutical companies accountable and treating Opioid Abuse Disorder (OUD). while Republican legislators spoke more about the illegal drug trade and the harsh criminalization of opioid possession and use. 

Policy Options

Recent legislation, such as the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, is a step in the right direction. More recently, the Budgeting for Opioid Addiction Treatment Act has been introduced and would impose an excise tax on the sale of any active opioid and would provide block grants to substance abuse treatment programs. In addition, the STOP Fentanyl Act of 2021 would work to establish programs that address fentanyl overdose and addictions. Upon implementation, this bill would effectively increase fentanyl surveillance and establish a program for federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that would increase education on how to detect and handle fentanyl. 

Individuals can encourage their local legislatures to vote on bills that work to overcome the opioid epidemic. Additionally, staying educated on the signs of an overdose, such as pinpoint pupils, slowed breathing, and loss of consciousness can save lives in emergency scenarios.  The medical industry continues to work to advance research and education to address the opioid epidemic and co-prescribing naloxone can be the first step for those at risk.