Category: Health and Environment

Overdose deaths in the United States fell by nearly 25% from 2023 to 2024. While this decrease may point to the effectiveness of recent reforms, such as expanded access to naloxone, methadone, and buprenorphine, the work is far from done.
Despite overall decreases, overdose death rates are not equal across demographic groups, revealing the need for targeted public health responses.
The potential loss of Medicaid coverage and cuts to addiction-related grant programs would devastate treatment access, particularly for low-income individuals and in rural areas.

Congressional Republicans’ proposed Medicaid work reporting requirements could strip coverage from hundreds of thousands of children, cost up to 449,000 jobs, and lead to more than 15,400 avoidable deaths each year.