releases: https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/merkley-introduces-bill-for-opioid-treatment-surge
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/merkley-introduces-bill-for-opioid-treatment-surge | Merkley Introduces Bill for Opioid Treatment Surge | 2018-12-05 | 2018 | 2018-12 | Democrat | House | OR | Jeff Merkley | M001176 | www.merkley.senate.gov | legacy | Merkley Introduces Bill for Opioid Treatment Surge Bill levies fees on companies that flooded the market and fueled the crisis to pay for a dramatic increase in treatment Wednesday, December 5, 2018 WASHINGTON, D.C. In the wake of new data showing record number of opioid overdose deaths, Oregon's U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley today introduced the Opioid Treatment Surge Act to fund a big increase in treatment capacity funded by imposing fees on the drug companies that created the opioid crisis. Drug companies flooded the streets with massive quantities of opioids to enrich themselves while a generation of Americans got hooked, Merkley said. It is time for those companies to commit a portion of those profits to dramatically increase treatment capacity to address this crisis. I have heard heart-wrenching stories from Oregonians who have lost loved ones after a prescription for an injury or treatment turned into an addiction, Merkley continued. This addiction is tough enough to kick in the best of circumstances, but too often when people are looking for treatment it's not available. An enormous spike in addictions requires an enormous spike in treatment capacity, and it's only right that the companies that profited creating the problem help pay for the solutions. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that drug overdoses killed more than 70,000 Americans in 2017. That record-setting number was largely due to a staggering 45 percent increase in deaths involving opioids. In 2013, about 3,000 deaths were associated with opioids. In 2017, about 28,000 people died because of an opioid overdose. Drug companies irresponsibly fueled the opioid epidemic with overprescribing and aggressive marketing tactics. Merkley's Opioid Treatment Surge Act would require those same drug companies to pay for additional treatment to address this crisis. The bill would establish a $2 billion per year treatment surge for the next ten years, paid for by a fee on opioid manufacturers. The companies would pay each year's assessment in proportion to their portion of overall opioid sales since 1999the year the opioid crisis slowly began to build. The companies that manufactured the most opioids would pay the highest portion of the annual fee. The bill provides exceptions to the fee for opioids used exclusively for the treatment of opioid addictionas part of a medically assisted treatment effortor for those used by cancer or hospice patients. Revenue from the $2 billion fee will go to the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, which is distributed to states to pay for with addiction treatment. Information about how the Opioid Treatment Surge Act would increase funding on a state-by-state basis follows below. State FY18 Funding Under Merkley Bill Alabama $23,356,917 $49,253,224 Alaska $6,154,694 $12,978,533 Arizona $40,644,307 $85,707,509 Arkansas $13,790,921 $29,081,207 California $254,706,548 $537,105,080 Colorado $29,045,376 $61,248,598 Connecticut $18,479,143 $38,967,359 Delaware $7,233,530 $15,253,498 Florida $111,656,028 $235,451,426 Georgia $57,423,236 $121,089,591 Hawaii $8,848,122 $18,658,222 Idaho $8,801,737 $18,560,409 Illinois $67,917,901 $143,219,913 Indiana $32,514,482 $68,563,975 Iowa $13,359,727 $28,171,939 Kansas $12,165,916 $25,654,524 Kentucky $20,645,520 $43,535,644 Louisiana $25,294,067 $53,338,134 Maine $7,233,530 $15,253,498 Maryland $34,348,574 $72,431,564 Massachusetts $40,114,281 $84,589,832 Michigan $56,323,757 $118,771,097 Minnesota $24,988,666 $52,694,128 Mississippi $14,070,016 $29,669,740 Missouri $26,816,271 $56,548,037 Montana $7,233,530 $15,253,498 Nebraska $7,907,045 $16,673,753 Nevada $17,270,184 $36,418,002 New Hampshire $7,233,530 $15,253,498 New Jersey $48,334,255 $101,923,465 New Mexico $9,831,121 $20,731,093 New York $112,106,839 $236,402,060 North Carolina $45,261,647 $95,444,192 North Dakota $6,799,236 $14,337,693 Ohio $64,807,533 $136,661,014 Oklahoma $17,416,147 $36,725,797 Oregon $20,845,513 $43,957,374 Pennsylvania $59,371,425 $125,197,779 Rhode Island $7,864,276 $16,583,565 South Carolina $23,985,271 $50,578,248 South Dakota $6,307,347 $13,300,436 Tennessee $32,246,615 $67,999,118 Texas $144,988,914 $305,741,187 Utah $16,855,328 $35,543,186 Vermont $6,725,555 $14,182,320 Virginia $42,249,325 $89,092,044 Washington $75,842,286 $159,930,231 West Virginia $8,698,568 $18,342,854 Wisconsin $27,465,848 $57,917,814 Wyoming $4,463,001 $9,411,225 American Samoa $369,188 $778,515 Guam $1,049,684 $2,213,491 Fed. Micronesia $284,243 $599,389 N. Marianas Isle. $356,527 $751,816 Marshal Islands $202,872 $427,800 Rep. Palau $77,395 $163,204 Puerto Rico $22,815,599 $48,111,736 Virgin Islands $680,998 $1,436,035 $1,803,880,112 $3,803,880,112 Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |