Republican senators from states that have been hit hard by the opioid drug crisis have tried to cushion the Medicaid blow with a separate funding stream of $45 billion over 10 years for substance abuse treatment and prevention costs, now covered by the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
But that, too, is running into opposition from conservatives. They have been tussling over the issue with moderate Republican senators like Rob Portman of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Susan Collins of Maine.
Without some opioid funding, Mr. Portman cannot vote for the bill, he said, adding, “Any replacement is going to have to do something to address this opioid crisis that is gripping our country.”
There would be no "opioid crises" if the DEA and Congress hadn't restricted availability of pain pills by threatening doctors with prosecution and pretending to know better than doctors how many pills someone needs to manage chronic pain.
When people in pain can't get pills, they turn to heroin. Let people have the pills they need or want and there will be no need to turn to heroin or fetanyl. If there's a "crisis" it's one Congress, with help from the Global Holy Warriors of the DEA created.
As for the rest of the Senate Republican's health care bill, while I have only seen media accounts, I'm not surprised it's a disaster. Obamacare is not the problem. It never was. Republicans are the problem. If they get this passed, we will all be the worse for it.
