Citation

Abraham AJ, Andrews CM, Grogan CM, D'Aunno T, Humphreys KN, Pollack HA, Friedmann PD. Am. J. Public Health 2016; 107(1): 31-32.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2016.303558

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Any historical assessment of the public health legacy of the Obama administration will have to look favorably at the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA; Pub L No. 111-148) on the US response to the opioid epidemic, and its ability to incentivize and assist states in taking action to fight against the epidemic.

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a major public health issue in the United States, particularly in light of the nation's growing opioid epidemic. In 2015, more than 12 million Americans reported misusing opioid pain relievers, and nearly one million Americans reported using heroin.1 The rate of opioid-related overdose deaths has increased more than 200% over the past 15 years, and overdose deaths related to heroin more than tripled from 2011 to 2014.2 The costs associated with prescription opioid use, abuse, and overdose are high, estimated at $78.5 billion in 2013 alone...

Language: en