Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
House Ready To Hold First Hearings On Best Approach To Fight Opioid Crisis, Provide Adequate Funding
House Republicans will begin a series of legislative hearings next week as the first step in an effort to pass bipartisan bills tackling the opioid crisis. The plan from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which will hold the first hearing on Feb. 28, will likely require additional funding from Congress, lawmakers said. Bills to be considered will focus on law enforcement, public health and prevention, and insurance coverage issues. (Armour and Peterson, 2/20)
In other news on the opioid crisis —
Acupuncture is increasingly being embraced by patients and doctors, sometimes as an alternative to the powerful painkillers behind the nation's opioid crisis. Although it has been long derided as pseudoscience and still questioned by many medical experts, a small but growing number of Medicaid programs in states hit hard by opioid overdoses have started providing it for low-income patients. (2/20)
Howard County’s latest initiative to fight rising opioid deaths and overdoses is a partnership between Grassroots Crisis Intervention and the county health department that will provide daily walk-in drug abuse screenings and treatment referrals. The partnership, funded by a one-year, $125,000 state grant and announced Wednesday, will allow Grassroots to hire a full-time and part-time licensed graduate social worker to conduct the screenings in Columbia from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. beginning Feb. 19. Grassroots Executive Director Ayesha Holmes said other counselors at the center will also be able to assist in screenings if needed. (Magill, 2/16)
The Kansas medical board has fined an Overland Park doctor $2,500 and put his license on probation after an investigation revealed improper and potentially dangerous opioid prescribing. (Marso, 2/16)
The Arizona Senate health committee on Friday advanced a patient-brokering bill that would prohibit rehab homes from paying fees or kickbacks to recruit patients. House and Senate health committees this week also advanced bills that would tighten oversight of the largely unregulated sober-home industry. (Alltucker, 2/18)
