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Saturday, March 8, 2014
Obamacare Rolls Out, Transforming Addiction Coverage
Despite the controversy, Obamacare will really change people's lives—including addicts, who can look forward to treatment coverage beginning this year.
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Amidst all the controversy (and seemingly endless efforts at repeal), President Obama's 2008 healthcare act has and will create real changes in Americans' lives. People struggling with addiction issues may see as many effects as anyone, with some major transformations to addiction coverage beginning this year.
Healthcare's 2014 Addiction 'Sea Change'
Provisions of the health care law — better known as "Obamacare," but officially the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — have been gradually implemented since the legislation's passage in 2008. Some of the major provisions finally take effect in 2014—for example, people can begin receiving health insurance under the so-called health insurance exchanges this year, following the (notoriously imperfect) sign-up period in late 2013.
Several of the most important aspects of the ACA for the world of addiction also finally roll out in 2014. The federal government, for example, released final regulations in November concerning the ACA's requirements that mental health and substance abuse treatment receive equal footing with medical health care.
The changes, despite some potential limitations, will mean big differences for addiction coverage in the United States, said Alden Bianchi, an employee benefits attorney who composed a report on the final regulations for the National Law Review. "These rules are…a sea change in the way that health plans approach the coverage of mental health and substance abuse disorder benefits," he said.
Getting More People Covered
The ACA's effects on addiction treatment, however, begin with the legislation's basic expansion of healthcare access. An estimated 47 million Americans went without health insurance in 2012. The ACA aims to cover many of them, primarily by expanding Medicaid and offering low-cost insurance through the "Health Insurance Marketplaces."
With big implications for those facing addiction problems, the ACA gave every state the option of expanding Medicaid to a greater number of poor individuals and families.
"It's a big deal that Medicaid expansion is happening in the way that it's happening," said Daliah Heller, a consultant working on issues of health care and U.S. drug policy reform, and co-author of the ACLU and Drug Policy Alliance's report Healthcare Not Handcuffs.
The federally and state-funded Medicaid program provides a basic level of health insurance coverage to people living under the federal poverty line. But that line, as currently constructed, gives a pretty distorted image of "poverty," said Heller. For example, the existing rules state that a family of three living in New Jersey must make less than $25,000 a year to qualify as poor.
"So that's obviously not much money for a family of three to live on," she said.
By accepting additional federal money allocated by the ACA, states can expand Medicaid coverage to individuals and families living at 133% of the poverty level. This means many more people facing actual, real-life poverty will gain new access to healthcare, Heller said. The ACA will also expand Medicaid coverage to single and childless adults (it had previously primarily gone to pregnant women, families and children).
"Increasing the coverage even that little bit is going to have a significant effect for some people," Heller said. "It actually gives them coverage where otherwise it would be difficult for them to afford it."
A total of 25 states, along with Washington, D.C., have so far decided to implement the Medicaid expansion. This means a great deal for addiction coverage, because the low-income population includes a disproportionate amount of people struggling with addiction, Heller said.
Even in those states that chose not to expand Medicaid, more people are set to receive healthcare coverage through the healthcare marketplace exchanges. Those exchanges come with incentives, such as subsidies and tax breaks, to help lower-income people buy health insurance, Heller said. This provides both a potential backup in states that opted out of the Medicaid expansion—and an increase in healthcare access in all states.
All told, the ACA stands to newly insure some 30 million to 33 million people in the United States, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.
Covering Addiction
Coverage thus expanded, the ACA then specifically addresses addiction by regulating what health benefits insurance plans must cover.
Or, as Heller puts it, "Now you have health coverage, which is step one. Step two is, will that health insurance pay for treatment?"
And the ACA represents a massive step forward in getting insurance plans to cover addiction treatment. First, starting this year, the legislation bars insurers from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions—including substance abuse. But perhaps the most important changes come from the ACA's expansion of parity rules. In brief, "parity" means that insurance plans must cover mental health and substance abuse treatment at the same level as regular medical care.
In 2008, Congress passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). The law closed up loopholes in a 1996 parity act, now requiring parity in terms of both financial and treatment limitations, Bianchi said. The financial side means deductibles and copays, while treatment parity refers to the number of annual visits and geographic limits for insurance networks.
The rules take great pains to be comprehensive and actually, finally impose real parity, Bianchi said. "The regulators did a very good job with this rule," he said.
MHPAEA applied to group health and insurance plans, but the ACA incorporates MHPAEA's parity structure, applying it to the marketplace exchange and Medicaid insurance plans. The healthcare law's parity effects result, at base, from the inclusion of mental health and substance abuse in the ACA's list of 10 "Essential Health Benefits." These 10 items define the areas of coverage that basic health care plans across the country must cover—at parity.
"So, for example, if there are two medications available for a particular condition, or two types of treatment," you have to have "the same level of treatment available for mental health and substance abuse disorders in that plan," Heller said.
That requirement will give nearly 32 million Americans new access to substance abuse and mental health treatment, according to estimates from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. And it will expand mental health and substance abuse benefits for an additional 31 million Americans, the HHS estimates.
"This is a big deal for addiction treatment access," Heller said.
The Essential Health Benefits framework, unfortunately, does impose some limits on the extent of addiction coverage, Heller said. Defining benchmark plans for each state, that list of 10 benefits requires only "a bare minimum" of addiction treatment coverage, leaving out medication like methadone, Heller said. Expanding benchmark plans to include such medication treatment will require further advocacy, Heller said.
Criminal Justice
The ACA will have some of its most profound effects on addiction healthcare coverage in the criminal justice system. By default, prisons and jails end up treating a large portion of the U.S. population that has substance abuse problems.
"Under the old model, really, poor people didn't have access to substance abuse or mental health treatment—unless it was through the criminal justice system," said Christie Donner, executive director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, which has been convening a panel of criminal justice and health care representatives to plan ACA implementation.
The ACA could help change all that. First, the overall expanded insurance access means lower-income people can get access to health coverage "without having to be involved in the criminal justice system at all," Donner said. This matters because people behind bars frequently come from lower-income backgrounds.
Second, prisoners with substance abuse problems today suffer from a lack of "continuity of care, "Donner said. They arrive in lock-up with substance abuse issues, receive some treatment, then leave the criminal justice system and lose access to care. The ACA, primarily through Medicaid, can keep many of these individuals covered after their sentences, Donner said.
The additional, federal money coming in through Medicaid could also help criminal justice agencies expand treatment access to current prisoners, she said. And, buoyed by ACA money, those agencies could use some of their own funds to improve the quality of care or create incarceration alternatives, like residential substance abuse treatment, Donner said.
Where It Could Break Down
That hoped-for transformation for addiction coverage, both in the criminal justice system and in general, could still stall during implementation, however, Donner said.
"Implementation of ACA with folks in the criminal justice system will require significant changes with how the criminal justice system operates," she said. "Because they are going to have to adapt to the healthcare model, not the other way around."
Prisons and jails, for example, will have to switch from their networks of treatment providers to those approved by Medicaid for some treatments, Donner said. All of that will require effort and advocacy, she said.
"If we don't figure this out…there won't be ACA implementation," Donner said. "There's a million different ways where this could break down."
The healthcare system, too, faces a monumental challenge in implementing the promise of ACA, Heller said. Providers must scale up significantly to deal with all the additional insured individuals in need of substance abuse treatment, she said.
But as the ACA transforms the funding and payment landscape for substance abuse treatment, healthcare providers are working on expansion, Donner said.
"I know they're crunching numbers to say, okay, how do we have to scale up, how many docs do we need, how many mental health folks do we need?" she said.
One aspect of the ACA could be particularly helpful in scaling up—the integration of behavioral health (mental and substance abuse) with physical health. That coordination provides the opportunity to expand addiction treatment in alternative ways, Heller said. "We may not have enough treatment, so how about supporting, for example, community health centers to build out substance use disorder treatment?"
And the basic regulations, too, could fail to meet expectations, as insurance agencies may try to skirt the rules. For instance, some have pointed out that insurance plans could violate the spirit of the parity laws via pre-authorization rules. Essentially, both medical and behavioral benefits could call for pre-authorization—but, in practice, only the mental and substance abuse treatments would require it, Bianchi said.
'Game Changer'
Still, despite the challenges, the ACA and its associated regulations will make a tremendous difference, particularly among those populations disproportionately affected by substance abuse.
"I think that the ACA is an absolute game changer," Donner said. "And I'm extremely excited about the potential of it."
One of the most important changes in the ACA may come from its larger philosophical implications, Heller said. Essentially, President Obama's health care act enshrines in federal law that substance abuse is a medical issue—not the result of poor morals, and not a criminal justice problem, Heller said.
That reflects a greater societal change, as the country as a whole has gotten over some of the stigma it once held for substance abuse, Bianchi said. "This is a shift that has taken place over generations," he said. "It's not just a matter of a couple of years and a couple of laws."
The ACA's federal definition of addiction as a healthcare issue may even pave the way to greater changes, potentially including decriminalization, Heller said.
"If we view ACA as this document that is now federal policy…it's sort of de facto recognition that it's not a criminal justice issue. It needs to be addressed as a health issue."
Michael Dahr is a regular contributor to The Fix. He last wrote about the vulnerability of the teenage brain.
Tennessee: A State of Epidemic
Tennessee ranks second per capita in the U.S. for prescription drug abuse. It’s a middle class epidemic. How did it happen in a state known for music and horses?
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Ask yourself what Tennessee is best known for and you will likely come up with Nashville and Graceland and then maybe mention Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Davy Crockett - and horses galore. All happy stuff.
Then there is this: the state’s growing reputation as the home to a virtual epidemic of prescription drug abuse.
According to the Tennessee Medical Association, the Volunteer state (so named for the bravery of its troops in the War of 1812 and memorialized by the fact that a great many of its people sign up to go to war) ranks second per capita in the country for prescription drug abuse (first is West Virginia). It also has the eighth highest drug overdose mortality rate in the U.S. As Tommy Farmer, assistant special agent in charge of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, put it: “We’re in jeopardy of losing an entire generation of our youth to addiction if we don’t get a grip on this."
Then there's this disheartening information from David Reagan, chief medical officer of the Tennessee Department of Health: “We unfortunately have a national epidemic of babies being born dependent on legal or illegal drugs their mothers ingested during pregnancy. At birth, the baby is cut off from the drug and goes through a painful process of withdrawal. The condition is known as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome or NAS, and it is painful for the baby and costly to society.”
“At the current rate this epidemic is progressing, we are projecting more than 800 drug-dependent newborns by the end of this year,” Dr. John Dreyzehner, the commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health, said late last year. In 2011 there were 629, which startled much of Tennessee. Moreover, 35% of 142 pregnant women that were admitted to state-funded treatment services in Tennessee said prescription pain killers were their primary substance of abuse.
The number of prescription drug-related deaths in Tennessee is alarming. The overdose mortality rate in Tennessee is 16.9 deaths per 100,000 – in 1999 it was 6.1 per 100,000 - according to a 2013 report written by Trust for America's Health (TFAH) called “Prescription Drug Abuse: Strategies to Stop the Epidemic.” The national rate is 12.7. Around Tennessee you frequently hear this bit of state trivia: more people have died from accidental prescription drug overdoses than auto accidents in recent years.
Among the contributing factors is that Tennessee residents simply seem to need or trust meds more than most others - Tennessee currently ranks among the top three states for the number of prescriptions written per capita, with almost 18 a year for every person in the state. In this "I need my painkillers" and addictive climate, sales of two of the most popular prescription painkillers, oxycodone and hydrocodone, both addictive, soared. Oxycodone sales increased more than 500% from 2000 to 2010, while hydrocodone increased nearly 300%, both accounting for a significant portion of the epidemic.
Another driving force behind the epidemic was that before April 1, 2013, doctor and pharmacy reporting to most drug monitoring databases was voluntary, not mandatory. This was the perfect setup for easily obtaining - and cavalierly writing - scripts; perfect, in fact, for cheating.
Common belief is that addicts get their drugs from dealers or steal them. In reality, those who can do so get scripts. Those with less access to doctors, according to the Center for Disease Control, tend to obtain their drugs from friends or relatives; only an estimated 16% are bought from dealers.
In Tennessee, friends and relatives have an easy time becoming enablers because huge amounts pass through the state. A controlled substance database report presented to the Tennessee General Assembly in 2012 stated that in 2011, 275 million hydrocodone pills were dispensed in Tennessee, 117 million Xanax pills and 113 million oxycodone pills. That adds up to 22 Xanax pills, 51 hydrocodone pills and 21 oxycodone pills for every Tennessee resident over 12 years old.
As elsewhere, addictive prescription drugs in Tennessee do not discriminate by gender, race, or social standing - except in a reverse way. In Tennessee, people who are educated, married or successful with their careers are three times more likely to use prescription drugs than others and thus to find themselves addicted, according to the state Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services.
“People don’t feel as if they are abusing drugs that were prescribed by a doctor,” explains Randy Jessee, senior vice president for Specialty Service at Frontier Health, the state’s largest chain of counseling and mental health centers. “It is also a part of a culture that says taking pills for an ailment is the right way to fix your problems."
Creating addiction-extending circumstance is the reality that more women become addicted than men, and then more men tend to seek treatment than women.
According to Jessee, the epidemic began in eastern Kentucky and spread to southwest Virginia before bleeding over to northern Tennessee. “It started in 1998 and by the year 2000, we had serious issues." Hyrocodone (the key ingredient in Lortab, Norco and Vicodin) and OxyContin, he notes, got a boost when they were marketed as non-addictive when first introduced during the 1990s. Then people started crushing the pills and snorting or injecting the drug, giving the user an instant and long-lasting high. In 2010, Tennessee’s per capita spending on prescription addictive drugs grew by 7.2 % to $1,272.94.
Friday, March 7, 2014
February 7 v 1 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB
Follow my advice, my son;
always treasure my commands.
STEP 11 - We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry it out.
Live the way you always lived and you will continue to be lost empty afraid and addicted . Work the twelve steps and read and follow Gods instruction manual and you will live like you never lived before.
New Road to Recovery Meeting and Concert
Good morning everyone, wanted to let everyone know we will be starting a new road to recovery meeting led by Michael Howard at the self help movement addictions treatment center at 2600 South Hampton Road in Philadelphia it is on the corner of Roosevelt Boulevard and South Hampton Road. Starting next Thursday at 7 p.m. And following every 2nd 3rd and 4th Thursdays. If you are interested in supporting this meeting with Michael please contact him ASAP at 215 205 7749. also we will be doing a concert on March 30th Sunday at 5:30 p.m At the treatment center with full band, testimony and the message. this is an awesome opportunity because they are basically a secular rehab allowing religious programming now to be apart of what they do. I am currently putting the details together for the concert and coordinating with Michael for the meetings if you have any questions you can call me or Michael on both of these upcoming events. Blessings!!
Survey of Women Treated for Addiction Finds Many Used Prescription Drugs, Heroin
By Join Together Staff | March 6, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Addiction, Drugs, Prescription Drugs & Treatment
A new survey of affluent women treated for alcohol and drug addiction finds prescription medication and heroin are their leading drugs of choice.
The online survey of 102 former patients, conducted by Caron Treatment Centers, found many women surveyed said they cared for their children, had careers and volunteered during their active addiction.
Seventy percent of the women who abused prescription drugs said they were initially prescribed the drugs legally for a physical or emotional ailment. The survey found 55 percent of respondents who were treated for an addiction to illegal drugs were also abusing heroin. Significant factors that led to addiction included a critical internal voice, depression and anxiety.
A majority of the women were married with children, but they said they were most likely to abuse drugs or alcohol when they were by themselves. The survey found 61 percent of respondents had a household income of $100,000 or more when they entered treatment.
Michelle Maloney, Executive Director of Treatment Services at Hanley Center, a Caron Treatment Center, said in a statement, “Female addicts often experience a lot of shame about using alcohol and drugs. They often feel they are the only ones with these problems. But we want them to know they are not alone. There are millions of women in recovery and all women deserve to get the help they need to live a healthy and productive life.”
A new survey of affluent women treated for alcohol and drug addiction finds prescription medication and heroin are their leading drugs of choice.
The online survey of 102 former patients, conducted by Caron Treatment Centers, found many women surveyed said they cared for their children, had careers and volunteered during their active addiction.
Seventy percent of the women who abused prescription drugs said they were initially prescribed the drugs legally for a physical or emotional ailment. The survey found 55 percent of respondents who were treated for an addiction to illegal drugs were also abusing heroin. Significant factors that led to addiction included a critical internal voice, depression and anxiety.
A majority of the women were married with children, but they said they were most likely to abuse drugs or alcohol when they were by themselves. The survey found 61 percent of respondents had a household income of $100,000 or more when they entered treatment.
Michelle Maloney, Executive Director of Treatment Services at Hanley Center, a Caron Treatment Center, said in a statement, “Female addicts often experience a lot of shame about using alcohol and drugs. They often feel they are the only ones with these problems. But we want them to know they are not alone. There are millions of women in recovery and all women deserve to get the help they need to live a healthy and productive life.”
U.S. Attorney General and Republicans Join in Opposition to Stiff Drug Sentencing Laws
By Join Together Staff | March 6, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs, Legal & LegislationU.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is joining with libertarian Republicans, including Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, in opposing mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders.
This political alliance may make it politically feasible to significantly liberalize sentencing laws, according to The New York Times. Libertarian-minded Republicans oppose long prison sentences because they see them as ineffective and expensive, the article notes. Rand is backing a sentencing overhaul bill in the Senate, and the House is considering similar legislation.
In August, Holder announced a Justice Department plan to change how some non-violent drug offenders are prosecuted. Low-level, nonviolent drug offenders who are not tied to large-scale drug organizations or gangs will not face mandatory minimum sentences.
Under the plan, severe penalties will be used only for serious, high-level or violent drug traffickers. Holder will give federal prosecutors instructions about writing their criminal complaints when they charge low-level drug offenders, in order to avoid triggering mandatory minimum sentences. Certain laws mandate minimum sentences regardless of the facts of the case.
In December, President Obama commuted the sentences of eight federal inmates who had been convicted of crack-cocaine offenses. Six of the inmates were sentenced to life in prison. The inmates likely would have received much shorter terms under current drug laws and sentencing rules.
While powder and crack cocaine are two forms of the same drug, until recently, a drug dealer who sold crack cocaine was subject to the same sentence as a dealer who sold 100 times as much powder cocaine.
The Fair Sentencing Act, enacted in 2010, reduced the disparity from 100 to 1 to 18 to 1, for people who committed their crimes after the law took effect. As a result, many defendants who are caught with small amounts of crack are no longer subject to mandatory prison sentences of five to 10 years. Those convicted of crack-cocaine crimes tend to be black, while those convicted of powder-cocaine offenses tend to be white.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
MARCH 6 v 32 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB
But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool,
for he destroys himself.
STEP 9 We made direct amends to such people except when to do so would injure them or others.
I struggled this morning with this one. But it is something that must be discussed. Way back in my addictive state I was guilty of this one . Sex can be a drug in its own sense of the word and I know most of you will agree that's true , but most will not be willing to openly admit that they are guilty of this . Step nine teaches to make amends except when to do so would injure others. Lets examine what is more damaging ! Carrying guilt shame or regret or coming clean and causing alot of pain and hurt for the other party . I chose the first ,even when I was getting a divorce I could have used it as weapon to cause harm but what would be the point . Marriage is a sacred thing and we must guard it . There are some of you out there who are contemplating committing the haineaous act . My advice work it out with your signifcant other they are worth it ! Its the least you can do after all the hell you put them through .
Jesus said I am the truth the life the way no one comes unto the father but through me.
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There
is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to the one hope that
belongs to your call- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:4-6 ESV
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New Jersey TV Stations Air First Medical Marijuana Ad
Some TV stations in New Jersey aired the first medical marijuana ad this week.
The ad, which aired on Comcast stations, compares medical marijuana to sushi, ABC News
reports. An actor who plays a dealer says, “Yo, you want sushi? I got
sushi. I got the best sushi.” He opens his coat to reveal it is lined
with sushi. “Ain’t nobody sellin’ but me.” At the end of the ad, a
woman’s voice says, “You wouldn’t buy your sushi from this guy, so why
would you buy your marijuana from him?”
The ad was created by MarijuanaDoctors.com,
which works in states with legalized medical marijuana to connect
patients with doctors who will prescribe it. Currently 20 states and
Washington, D.C., have enacted medical marijuana laws.
“We felt the viewing public would agree that in the states providing
safe access, continuing to obtain medicine illegally is as absurd as
purchasing raw fish from a drug dealer,” Jason Draizin, founder and CEO
of MarijuanaDoctors.com, said in a news release.
According to Comcast spokeswoman Melissa Kennedy, the ads will only
air in states where medical marijuana is legal, between 10 p.m. and 5
a.m. It will not run during children’s and family programming, she said.
New Products Similar to E-Cigarettes are Attracting Teens
By Join Together Staff | March 5, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Marketing And Media, Tobacco, Young Adults & Youth
A growing number of teens are starting to use devices that are similar to e-cigarettes, with names such as “hookah pens,” “e-hookahs” or “vape pens.” The devices are being marketed to avoid the stigma associated with smoking any kind of cigarette, The New York Times reports.
The new devices are colorful and come in candy flavors, but are otherwise almost identical to e-cigarettes, according to the article. Like e-cigarettes, they have nicotine and other chemicals, which are unregulated.
Health officials say surveys about e-cigarette use generally don’t ask about these other products, so they may be greatly underestimating how many people are using e-cigarettes and similar devices. They say teens appear to view e-cigarettes and e-hookahs as being different products, even though they are basically the same. Many young people say they are not interested in using e-cigarettes, but have tried hookah pens, vape pens or e-hookahs.
Emily Anne McDonald of the University of California, San Francisco, who is studying e-cigarette use among young people, told the newspaper that the lack of information about nicotine-vapor products was creating a vacuum “so that young adults are getting information from marketing and from each other. We need to understand what people are calling these before we send out large surveys,” she said. Otherwise the responses are not accurate, “and then you’re back to the beginning.”
Critics of e-cigarettes say secondhand vapor is a pollutant, and e-cigarettes can get more people addicted to nicotine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will soon propose rules on regulating e-cigarettes. The FDA is expected to consider e-cigarettes as tobacco products, which will allow the agency to provide the same federal oversight that applies to cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigarette tobacco, and roll-your-own tobacco. E-cigarettes could be subjected to the same requirements for disclosure of ingredients, manufacturing quality and restrictions on sales to minors that apply to regular cigarettes.
Photo source: www.hookahpencentral.com
A growing number of teens are starting to use devices that are similar to e-cigarettes, with names such as “hookah pens,” “e-hookahs” or “vape pens.” The devices are being marketed to avoid the stigma associated with smoking any kind of cigarette, The New York Times reports.
The new devices are colorful and come in candy flavors, but are otherwise almost identical to e-cigarettes, according to the article. Like e-cigarettes, they have nicotine and other chemicals, which are unregulated.
Health officials say surveys about e-cigarette use generally don’t ask about these other products, so they may be greatly underestimating how many people are using e-cigarettes and similar devices. They say teens appear to view e-cigarettes and e-hookahs as being different products, even though they are basically the same. Many young people say they are not interested in using e-cigarettes, but have tried hookah pens, vape pens or e-hookahs.
Emily Anne McDonald of the University of California, San Francisco, who is studying e-cigarette use among young people, told the newspaper that the lack of information about nicotine-vapor products was creating a vacuum “so that young adults are getting information from marketing and from each other. We need to understand what people are calling these before we send out large surveys,” she said. Otherwise the responses are not accurate, “and then you’re back to the beginning.”
Critics of e-cigarettes say secondhand vapor is a pollutant, and e-cigarettes can get more people addicted to nicotine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will soon propose rules on regulating e-cigarettes. The FDA is expected to consider e-cigarettes as tobacco products, which will allow the agency to provide the same federal oversight that applies to cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigarette tobacco, and roll-your-own tobacco. E-cigarettes could be subjected to the same requirements for disclosure of ingredients, manufacturing quality and restrictions on sales to minors that apply to regular cigarettes.
Photo source: www.hookahpencentral.com
Rx Summit Focuses on National Collaboration
By Dan Smoot | March 5, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Advocacy, Community Related, Healthcare & Prescription Drugs
Statistics continue to paint a stark reminder about the devastating impact of prescription (Rx) drug abuse and diversion.
Hydrocodone and other opioid analgesics were involved in about three of every four pharmaceutical overdose deaths in 2010, according to a February 2013 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the Trust For America’s Health, every day in the United States, 50 people die from an overdose of prescription drugs.
This is unacceptable.
Two years ago, Operation UNITE recognized that many good, successful initiatives were being implemented across the United States, but there was a lack of coordination, some duplication of efforts and many folks just not knowing where to turn to try and impact the problem.
So, in 2012, we launched the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit to spark a conversation among this country’s top legislators, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, treatment providers, law enforcement personnel, insurance payers, researchers and community advocates. We were overwhelmed with the response. Last year nearly 900 individuals from 49 states, the District of Columbia and two other countries shared their latest findings and strategies to bring solutions to the Rx drug abuse epidemic.
We have witnessed substance abuse problems spread from community to community, seemingly unabated. The Rx Summit is helping to meet challenges head-on through an unprecedented collaboration. We’re still far from declaring victory, but multi-disciplinary discussions are yielding results at all levels.
I am proud to be a part of the effort to help guide this national discussion. You, too, can let your voice be heard by participating in the third annual National Rx Drug Abuse Summit, to be held April 22-24, 2014, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Once again our National Advisory Board has assembled an exceptional line up featuring more than 100 presenters, and we will be offering an opportunity to receive approximately 20 continuing education credits for your time.
How impactful is the Rx Drug Abuse in addressing this issue?
It’s so important that five of our nation’s top leaders will provide keynote addresses: Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Michael Botticelli, deputy director for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP); and Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In addition, Matthew Perry, an Emmy-nominated actor and recovering addict, will drive home the point that substance abuse can happen to anyone, and that it is possible to overcome the disease of addiction.
Other highlights of the 2014 Summit include:
• Thirty-five breakout sessions grouped into educational tracks – Third-Party Payer, Education & Advocacy, Treatment, Pharmacy, Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs), Clinical, and Law Enforcement. These sessions, led by frontline professionals, are tailored to provide you, the stakeholders, timely and relevant information and equip your organizations with the data, evidence and programs they need to maximize resources.
• Three special panel discussions featuring: 1) members of the bi-partisan U.S. House Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse, 2) state governors and 3) state attorneys general. These sessions provide an opportunity to learn what is being done at the state and federal levels – and how you can impact legislative changes.
• Eleven vision sessions offering in-depth examination of innovative programs and strategies from organizations and businesses deeply involved in the fight against Rx abuse and diversion. You will learn firsthand what is being done NOW and what tools can be brought to bear in your efforts.
Where else can you find so many thought leaders gathered together to share their insights – and listen to YOUR perspective?
Let your voice be heard. Join the more than 1,000 expected Summit attendees sharing timely data about the prescription drug abuse crisis as we formulate impactful solutions at the local, state and national levels. Together we can make a lasting impact.
For information about the Summit visit www.NationalRxDrugAbuseSummit.org, or follow news about the event at Twitter.com/RxSummit, Facebook.com/RxSummit, or LinkedIn.com/RxSummit. Questions may be directed to Cheryl Keaton at
606-657-3218606-657-3218 or ckeaton@centertech.com. 
Dan SmootPresident/CEO
Operation Unite
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
February 5 v 21 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB
For the Lord sees clearly what a man does,
examining every path he takes.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
God already knows everything about you. He knows your struggles and pain .God does not want you to continue to suffer , He has a good life planned for you but you are going have to commit step three and get out of the way . Dont let shame and fear get in the way or you will stay trapped right where you are . A brother told me once , I have tried everything else I might as well try God . He did and discovered , God did loved him for who he was . My brother Clark also discovered Sobriety ,sanity , peace , love , joy ,forgiveness , dignity and integrity .So what are you waiting for get to stepping !
Heroin Addicts Seeking Treatment Face Insurance Roadblocks
By Join Together Staff | February 18, 2014 | 8 Comments | Filed in Addiction,Drugs, Healthcare, Insurance & Treatment
As heroin use escalates across the U.S., addicts and their loved ones who are seeking treatment face a lack of services and strict constraints placed by insurance companies, according to health care and addiction professionals.
Specialists say before insurance companies agree to cover inpatient services they require evidence that the addicted patient has tried one or more outpatient programs. Some insurance companies also demand proof that the individual has little or no outside support network, has already failed at a less expensive treatment facility or has a health condition that makes treatment a medical necessity, the Courier Post Reports.
The demand for treatment is also quickly outpacing the available supply for help, often leaving those who are struggling with a heroin addiction without the services they need to be on a path to recovery.
A study released late last year by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows that while use of other drugs like methamphetamine is decreasing, heroin use continues to rise across the nation.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
MARCH 4 v 23 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB
Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
diligence - careful and persistent work or effort.
STEP 4. I will take a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself.
Step four will unlock a door ! The Proverb is telling us that our hearts contain the issues of life !Could it be that the treatment realm could be missing the mark . Addiction treatment puts all of our focus on the mind and head. Think about that for a moment ! We label everything ,narcissistic , bi -polar , schizo and the list goes on .Have you ever heard a counselor say your addiction is a by product of a broken heart. Fix your heart and the head will follow. I think this is why the Christian recovery approach is so successful . As Christians we are taught that issues of life flow from the heart including all that is wicked . In order to properly clean a heart out we need to invite Jesus in to the heart . Gods only son who died for us and paid the penalty for our sins. Secular treatment labels you and in some cases give you more drugs. As Christians the only medicine we give is love acceptance and support . Before you commit step four ask Jesus in to your heart ,He will help you deal with what you are gonna dig up. Step four for me brought much pain and it was difficult but in the end buried underneath all that pain , guilt , shame , fear , sadness , anger and regrets was peace love and inexpressible joy.
Jesus said I am the truth , the life , the way , no comes unto the father but through me.
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