In the past two decades, the devastation associated with opioid addiction has escaped the relative confines of the inner city and extended to suburban and rural America. Due in large part to the proliferation of prescription pain relievers, rates of opioid abuse, addiction, overdose, and related deaths have increased dramatically. This has affected families and communities that once felt immune to this crisis.
On Aug. 1, an analysis of health care claims for the treatment of opioid dependence showed a 3,000 percent increase from 2007 to 2014.
The knowledge that many are afflicted or affected has helped people understand the powerful psychological and physiological grip of addiction. As a result, the stigma has decreased.
What was once relegated to the back burner of public concern has become a top public health priority.
We addiction experts also have gained a better understanding of the illness, and we see reasons for hope.
Shifts in Public Policy
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act combined to finally require insurance companies to cover treatment for patients suffering from addiction. Insurance companies can no longer deny treatment or significantly limit treatment for psychiatric disorders, including addiction, as they had in the past.
President Barack Obama recently proposed $1.1 billion in funding to expand access to treatment for opioid addiction and overdose prevention.
In July, the House passed a bill that would further expand access to care for addiction and other mental health conditions.
Then, on July 22, the president signed into law the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016.
If adequately funded by Congress, the law will help to strengthen prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts.
This improves treatment options for individuals in the criminal justice system, which may decrease rates of return to crime and prison. It also expands access to naloxone, a lifesaving drug that emergency medical workers, and even family and friends in certain cases, can administer to someone who has overdosed.
This stepped-up policy response is giving doctors the means to better treat people suffering from opioid addiction. When combined with improvements in the public’s understanding of addiction as a disease that requires treatment, we as a society are creating an environment that supports treatment. We believe this will save many thousands of lives.
A Societal Effort
Physicians are re-examining their own prescribing practices to decrease the likelihood of medication diversion or misuse and to minimize the development of iatrogenic addiction, or addiction that stems from medical treatment.
Law enforcement officials have worked to close down hundreds of “pill mills,” or clinics purporting to serve patients with chronic pain disorders. In reality, they serve as primary access points for dealers selling prescription drugs on the black market.
In all states except Missouri, prescription drug monitoring programs have also helped to identify patients in need of intervention.
More patients have access to treatment than ever before, including many in the criminal justice system who participate in drug court diversionary programs. Such programs save taxpayer money and decrease recidivism.
Greater Understanding and Knowledge
