Oct 26, 2017
President Declares Public Health Emergency
PPU: 10.26.17
Today President Trump declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency. The President’s Commission on Addiction and the Opioid Crisis recommended that he declare a national emergency. Instead, the President chose to issue the public health emergency declaration.
The difference between the two declarations is the funding sources that would be available following each declaration. The health crisis designation does not provide additional funding and relies on existing sources of revenue. It does allow Health and Human Services (HHS) and other government agencies to redirect existing funds for the purpose of dealing with this crisis. It is anticipated that Congress will be asked to provide additional resources before they adjourn for the year in December.
The President, during his announcement, proclaimed that states may request a waiver for the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) 16 bed exclusion. He stated that these requests will be approved quickly. This is a major step forward, long supported by the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers.
The National Association will continue to monitor the government response to this crisis, advocate for expanded access to treatment, and point out that Substance Use Disorder (SUD) kills regardless of the substance used.
Mark Dunn
NAATP Director of Public Policy
Washington, DC
