The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act — What Will It Mean for the Opioid-Overdose Crisis?

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Abstract
Opioid-overdose deaths have increased every year for the past two decades, driving a drug-overdose epidemic that killed more than 72,000 Americans in 2017.1 Thanks in large part to sustained efforts by health advocates, medical professionals, and affected people, Congress has acted on several occasions to address this ongoing and largely preventable crisis. In 2016, President Barack Obama signed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) and the 21st Century Cures Act, which contain numerous provisions designed to increase access to evidence-based care and treatment for people with substance use disorders (SUDs). Neither law substantially altered the federal policy landscape, however, and overdose-related deaths have continued to increase.