A commission created by President Trump met to discuss a plan for the ongoing opioid epidemic. Recommendations include more drug courts and access to medication; however the commission did not specify the amount of funds they would need to execute the initiative.

In a New York Times article, health care policy and Harvard Medical School Margret T. Morris professor Richard G. Frank, PhD, estimated that it will cost around $10 billion a year to treat those suffering from opioid addiction that are not currently seeking treatment. This does not include money that would be needed to treat babies born with opioid-dependency, children put into foster care while their parents seek treatment, or treatment of diseases related to opioid abuse.

Frank spoke against including federal Medicaid funding in any grants related to addiction treatment. “When one starts to carve out certain services as grants, as opposed to insurance funding, one undermines the insurance.”

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