Trending News Today: FDA Sets Framework to Increase Access to Opioid Use Disorder Treatments

A new Urban Institute report suggests that attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will lead to double-digit premium increases next year in nearly all states, Bloomberg reported. On average, premiums for plans purchased on the marketplace are projected to rise by 18% in the 43 states where there are no limits on short-term health plans, according to the article. This effect is largely driven by the fact that short-term plans pull healthier individuals out of the ACA marketplace, according to Bloomberg. This population is crucial for offsetting the cost of sicker individuals.

The Center for American Progress (CAP)—a bastion of the Democratic party—recently released a plan that is reminiscent of a single-payer system, according to The Hill. Under the “Medicare Extra for All” plan, the government would provide insurance for Americans; however, individuals could choose to gain coverage from their employers instead, according to the article. Many Democratic Senators are also now expressing support for Sen Bernie Sanders’s (I-VT) proposal for a single-payer health care system, according to The Hill.

The FDA is planning to allow manufacturers to sell prescription drugs that curb opioid cravings without fully stopping addiction as a way to stimulate the development of new treatments for opioid use disorder, according to The New York Times. The proposal was discussed by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and marks a push towards wider adoption of medication-assisted treatment. Azar said the agency hopes this proposal will rectify the misconception that patients have to completely abstain from opioids for treatment to be effective, according to the article. This contradicts former HHS Secretary Tom Price’s stance that medications that reduce cravings with synthetic opioids is just substituting drugs, the Times reported.