Drug overdose is the leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly 4,000 people died of an overdose last year in the state of Ohio alone. Estimates suggest that nearly half a million people will die of a drug overdose in the next ten years. How did we get here, and what are we doing about it?
A few months ago, Ohio actually launched a lawsuit against drug manufacturers, accusing them of downplaying the risks of opioid treatment in an effort to sell more. NBC reports compare drug manufacturers to tobacco companies, advertising their drugs with the benefits without even mentioning the negative consequences.
Back in May, Trump assembled a team to focus on fixing this epidemic, but the White House has other priorities. A few weeks after that, NIH (National Institutes Of Health) announced new efforts to not only prevent drug addiction but also help those who are already deeply addicted. Since then, they’ve been meeting with various drug companies to come up with stronger, more efficient solutions. One new product is a nasal spray that can stop the effects of opioid drugs.
One major misconception is that opioid addiction only comes through misuse, but it often falls to people who are prescribed an opioid for chronic pain and fall victim to it. NIH wants to convince doctors to prescribe non-addictive drugs more often and recommend other methods of pain management first.
Trump’s desire to mend this problem comes at a time when health insurance is a more prominent issue than health care, and the government is working to cut costs, not spend more. Trump’s deadline to start making improvements on this has already passed, and we haven’t yet seen an update on the timeline. Check back with HealthTN for updates.
For now, contact one of our licensed agents for help with your health care. Call us at 615-541-4257.
Anastasia Iliou
Anastasia graduated from Belmont University with a Bachelor's degree in Songwriting. When she's not writing, she's on a mission to visit all 50 states in the U.S (and to date has reached 41). Anastasia loves writing music, hiking, and playing with her pets (hedgehog, cat, and dog). She loves animals (but not so much bugs) and spends her free time volunteering for The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennesee.
