Hospitals

U.S. HOUSE SET TO PASS SWEEPING ANTI-OPIOID LEGISLATION

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House leaders on Friday are expected to vote to consolidate 18 pieces of legislation—all passed this week—that are meant to curb the U.S. opioid addiction epidemic. The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act would provide $500 million in funding to states and local communities for education, prevention and treatment programs to combat the use of prescription painkillers and heroin.

“The next step here is that we will take all of these ideas to a conference committee with the Senate,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said during a press briefing on Thursday. “Then we intend to send a bill to the president’s desk. And I hope each and every one of you will come back when we sign that bill. Because this is about people’s lives. It is about whole communities being torn apart. We can win this fight. And we must.”

 While anti-opioid legislation has earned bipartisan support, critics and President Barack Obama say the law would be useless unless Congress votes unanimously to provide emergency funding to the programs. The Senate approved its own version of the bill in March.

 

Josh Sandberg

Josh Sandberg is the President and CEO of Ortho Spine Partners and sits on several company and industry related Boards. He also is the Creator and Editor of OrthoSpineNews.

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