Brown Hosts Roundtable To Discuss How GOP Health Bill Will Undermine Efforts To Combat Opioid Epidemic

Press Release

Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) hosted a roundtable discussion at the East End Community Services Center with southwest Ohio physicians, law enforcement, addiction specialists, and individuals currently receiving treatment to outline how the GOP health plan will hinder efforts to address the opioid crisis in Ohio.

According to a Harvard study more than 220,000 Ohioans with addiction or mental health disorders now have coverage under the Affordable Care Act -- 151,257 through the Medicaid expansion and 69,225 under private insurance purchased through the marketplace. Repeal would kick those people off of their insurance, potentially to disrupting treatment services for hundreds of thousands of Ohioans as they are fighting for their lives.
"It's despicable for Washington politicians with taxpayer-funded insurance to kick Ohioans off of their insurance, just as they are getting treatment to overcome their addictions," said Brown. "Ohio communities are doing their part combat the opioid epidemic, and we can't allow Washington to pull the rug out from under them."

"The opioid epidemic is an unprecedented public health issue that is ravaging our community. Access to affordable substance abuse treatment, made possible by Medicaid expansion, is a critically important asset in the fight to save lives and keep our communities whole. By cutting access to treatment, significantly more lives will be lost, and future generations will suffer the consequences," said Jan Lepore-Jentleson, Executive Director of East End Community Services.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the House plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act would cause premiums to go up an average of about 20 percent next year, which would put healthcare coverage at risk for individuals and families seeking treatment for addiction.

Brown has worked with members of both parties to secure federal resources and address the opioid crisis in Ohio communities. Earlier this month, Brown criticized President Trump's proposed budget for cutting or maintaining current levels of federal funding for various programs working to address the opioid epidemic, even as opioid overdose deaths continue to rise.

Brown announced more than $160 million in federal resources to combat the opioid crisis in states like Ohio that have been hardest hit by the epidemic as part of the government funding package agreed to in April. The President's budget proposes to cut or flat fund many of these programs.

In April, Brown announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released $26 million in grant funding to Ohio to bolster efforts to combat the opioid epidemic after he joined Senate colleagues in in a letter to President Trump calling for the release of critical resources that have been designated to address the nation's opioid epidemic.

Brown urged Governor George "Sonny" Perdue, President Trump's nominee to serve as the Secretary of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to continue USDA's efforts to fight the opioid epidemic in Ohio communities. USDA has helped in the fight against opioids through its Rural Development grant programs, like the Community Facilities Program--which helps rural communities expand local resources like medical facilities and public safety services. Brown also supported a strong Rural Development title in the 2014 Farm Bill to provide economic support to rural communities.

Brown also worked with his colleagues Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) to introduce bipartisan legislation to help U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) keep the deadly synthetic opioid, fentanyl, out of the country. Brown's bill, the INTERDICT Act, would provide CBP with additional high-tech screening equipment and lab resources to detect fentanyl before it enters the U.S. According to a report from the Ohio Department of Health, fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Ohio more than doubled from 503 in 2014 to 1,155 in 2015. Several state and national law enforcement organizations have endorsed Brown's bill.

Last Congress, Brown introduced legislation that would address the opioid epidemic from prevention to recovery, filling in gaps that would help: boost prevention, improve tools for crisis response for those who fall through the cracks, expand access to treatment, and provide support for lifelong recovery.

Brown was joined by representatives from East End Community Services Center, Dayton Police Department, Caresource, Families of Addicts (FOA), addiction specialists, and individuals in recovery.

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