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December 2018
Battling the opioid epidemic: A roundup of news and information
 Trump signs ‘opioid package’ into law
On Oct. 24, President Trump signed H.R. 6,** the “Support for Patients and Communities Act,” commonly known as “the opioid package,” into law. The bill contains more than 200 provisions, including those affecting Medicare, Medicaid, commercial health plans and law enforcement. It promises $8.5 billion this year for opioid-related programs. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association were very involved in advocacy on this issue.
Surgeon general publishes report on opioid addiction
The surgeon general recently published a report,** Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Spotlight on Opioids. It calls for a cultural shift in the way Americans talk about the opioid crisis and recommended actions that can prevent and treat opioid misuse. The surgeon general urges people to:
- Talk about opioid misuse. Have a conversation about preventing drug misuse and overdose.
- Be safe. Only take opioid medications as prescribed, make sure to store medication in a secure place and dispose of unused medication properly.
- Understand pain and talk with your health care provider. Treatments other than opioids can be effective in managing pain.
- Understand that addiction is a chronic disease. With the right treatment and supports, people do recover.
- Be prepared. Get and learn how to use naloxone, an opioid overdose reversing drug.
The report draws upon data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which indicates that overdose deaths rose by almost 10 percent in 2017 to claim the lives of more than 70,000 Americans, 48,000 of which were attributable to opioids.
For more news and information about the opioid epidemic, see the following articles and columns in the November – December issue of Hospital and Physician Update:
**Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan doesn’t own or control this website.
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