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Pelosi Statement on Passage of Opioids Bill

September 28, 2018

Contact: Ashley Etienne/Henry Connelly, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the House passed a bipartisan opioids bill:

"This bipartisan opioids package takes an important first step in dealing with the opioids overdose epidemic in America, and Democrats are proud to have secured victories on key priorities including expanding access to opioid addiction treatment under Medicare and Medicaid. Yet, this bill is too little, too late to make up for the vicious, all-out assault on the health care of Americans with substance use disorders that Republicans have waged for the past two years.

"House Republicans have fought relentlessly to strip away health coverage and explode premiums for people with pre-existing conditions, including substance use disorders. Their bitter attempts to destroy the health care law could have taken away health coverage from 2.8 million people struggling with substance use, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. At the same time, the House GOP has relentlessly fought to make staggering cuts to Medicaid, CDC, and mental health and substance abuse funding. And now, with this opioids bill, they have offered a paltry level of short-term funding far below what experts believe is needed.

"The opioid crisis is the worst public health crisis in modern history, causing a shocking level of opioid overdose deaths, devastating families and damaging America's workforce. Democrats are committed to securing sustainable, robust funding, improving prevention and education initiatives and boosting access to care for the men and women fighting for their lives – including by building on the progress of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, which sends life-saving funding to states to combat the crisis."

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Issues:Health Care