Pallone Praises President’s Action to Address Opioid Abuse and Heroin Epidemic

Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) today issued the following statement commending President Obama’s announcement on new actions to escalate the fight against prescription drug opioid abuse and heroin epidemic. The President announced, among other things, new efforts today to expand access to mental health and substance use treatment, strengthen parity protections for mental health and substance use services for the more than 23 million people enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that currently depend on these services and $11 million in funding to states to purchase and distribute naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

“I commend the President for taking comprehensive action today to help tackle our nation’s substance abuse crisis. The President’s action will lead to more Americans having better access to medical treatment for opioid disorders through Medicaid, CHIP, Community Health Centers and other state programs. The President also proposed increasing access to buprenorphine, a critical drug that treats opioid disorders. These actions are a major step towards ensuring patients are no longer falling through the cracks, but Congress can provide more support by approving the President’s budget proposal of $1.1 billion in new funding over two years to help address this substance abuse crisis.”