Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren started a new survey of more than 70 addiction treatment and recovery service organizations across the state on Monday, according to a press release issued by Warren’s office.
The survey will take patient access, treatment options, insurance coverage and healthcare financing into account in order to understand how treatment centers are responding to the opioid crisis, according to the release.
Data from the survey will be used to inform the U.S. Senate as it considers budget legislation affecting treatment and recovery services, Warren wrote in an introductory letter to healthcare providers attached to the distributed survey.
“Providing adequate funding for access to quality behavioral health services should not be a partisan fight,” Warren wrote in the letter. “This is a serious crisis that our communities are facing, and I plan to do everything I can to ensure organizations in Massachusetts — and across the country — receive the resources they need.”
After announcing the survey, Warren addressed the Senate on Wednesday to discuss the opioid crisis. In her speech, she said nearly 2,000 people in Massachusetts died last year due to opioid abuse, and some of the obstacles the new healthcare bill might pose to fighting the opioid epidemic, including limiting healthcare coverage.
“[The Affordable Care Act] requires all insurance plans to cover substance use disorder treatment and prevention as an, ‘essential health benefit,’” Warren said. “That means your insurance company can’t turn off your access to treatment just when you need it the most by saying, ‘Oh, sorry, we don’t cover that.’”
Warren urged the Senate to do more to address the opioid epidemic. She said only 10 percent of those who need treatment for substance abuse disorders currently receive it.
“What we absolutely cannot do is less,” Warren said. “We cannot take away the resources we already commit to fighting the opioid crisis so that some millionaire can get a tax break.”
Matthew Hoffman, director of Boston Alcohol and Substance Abuse Programs, said he sees a lot of potential in Warren’s survey.
“The opioid epidemic has always been bad, but it’s been getting more attention recently,” Hoffman said. “[Warren’s survey] can’t hurt. Many people don’t know these resources are there at all.”
However, increased reports of drug overdoses do not necessarily mean more people are using opioids, according to Hoffman.
“[Increased reports] usually [mean] people are more comfortable in getting help, which shows an improvement of trust in health care system,” Hoffman said. “It used to be that you had to drive someone to the emergency room and then drive away because the police would be there. Now, it’s easier.”
Hoffman said the greatest obstacle treatment centers face is prevention.
“By the time we are treating addiction we are a couple steps behind,” Hoffman said. “We need to be focusing on preventing [opioids] from getting into the wrong hands, since so many prescription drugs are available illicitly.”
Hoffman also expressed his concern over some legislators’ determination to repeal and replace the ACA.
“[Treatment centers] have sufficient funding now, but the future doesn’t look bright,” Hoffman said. “We haven’t seen what the new bill will do in term of addiction in health care coverage.”
Several Boston residents recognized the healthcare bill as an obstacle to finding treatment for opioid addiction and applauded Warren’s efforts to address the epidemic.
Hannah Eagleson, 35, of Kenmore, said she sees Warren’s survey as a good first step in improving treatment for those affected by substance abuse.
“Research is really important [to supporting treatment centers],” Eagleson said. “I’ve heard of partnerships between state governments and private organizations that have gotten a lot done. I think [the survey] will provide helpful research.”
Alex Kruse, 25, of Dorchester, said if the opioid epidemic is truly dire, lawmakers should reallocate funds to solve the crisis.
“The new bill might take away treatment coverage, but I don’t think the new government is as vulnerable as those in specific groups and circumstances [like those suffering from addiction],” Kruse said.
Stephen Vanreusel, 38, of Back Bay, said the Senate should not pass the new healthcare bill because it poses a harmful obstacle to addiction treatment.
“[Addiction treatment] should definitely be included in healthcare,” Vanreusel said. “We have a good health care system in Massachusetts, and public treatment is accessible to many if not all people who need it. There’s no simple solution, but the state should be heavily involved.”
