Obamacare a contributing factor to opioid epidemic: GOP reportby Kimberly Leonard | Jan 17, 2018, 11:49 AM The expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare made the opioid epidemic even worse, according to a report commissioned by Sen. Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
The report suggests that because people who were uninsured were able to get government-funded Medicaid coverage under Obamacare, they are now receiving more access to prescription painkillers like OxyContin, and some are selling them illegally on the streets.
"I'm not saying this is a primary cause," Johnson, R-Wis., said in a hearing on the topic Wednesday. "I think what we are certainly saying is this is an unintended consequence. It's certainly a contributing factor. It maybe enables something that shouldn't be enabled. It's a very serious problem that has to be taken a look at."
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http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/obamacare-a-contributing-factor-to-opioid-epidemic-gop-report/article/2646179
