In response to President Trump’s impending declaration that the country’s opioid epidemic is a public health emergency, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:
“President Trump’s impending declaration of the opioid epidemic as a public health emergency is hollow when contrasted with his continued push to repeal the Affordable Care Act,” said Woodhouse. “The President and Republicans in Congress have repeatedly voted for health care repeal that would gut Medicaid, and take treatment away from people with substance use disorders. In some of the hardest hit states like Ohio and West Virginia, Medicaid pays for nearly half of buprenorphine-based medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders. President Trump and the GOP have attempted to end Medicaid expansion through repeal, an act analysis after analysis after analysis after analysis has shown would only worsen the opioid crisis. If President Trump truly wants to help those suffering under this terrible epidemic, he’ll abandon his reckless and partisan efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.”