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Opioid Crisis: Status of Public Health Emergency Authorities

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date Sept. 26, 2018
Release Date Oct. 23, 2018
Report No. GAO-18-685R
Summary:

Over 42,000 people died from opioid overdoses in 2016, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Partly due to this, HHS declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency on October 26, 2017. This declaration allows HHS some leeway to conduct certain activities in response to the opioid crisis.

For example, we found that HHS waived the public notice period for approval of two state Medicaid demonstration projects related to treatments for substance use disorders to speed up implementation of these projects. These demonstrations allow states to test and evaluate new approaches for delivering services within Medicaid.

Prescription and Illicit Opioids

Photo showing pills spilling out of a prescription bottle next to a syringe and lines of white powder.

Photo showing pills spilling out of a prescription bottle next to a syringe and lines of white powder.

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