Despite years of progress in reducing stigma and expanding treatment for people with substance use disorders (SUD), the federal government is threatening to undo it all through a coordinated set of federal policies that threaten the lives of the nearly 50 million people with SUD.  

Community Catalyst’s latest blog breaks down how recent federal actions will harm people with SUD. Those include:  

  • Dismantling federal resources dedicated to SUD, such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
  • Gutting Medicaid, the single largest payer of behavioral health services
  • Removing and declining to enforce protections in commercial health plans
  • Prioritizing tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy 

The blog is co-authored by Orla Kennedy, Senior Policy Analyst at Community Catalyst; Deborah Steinberg, Senior Health Policy Attorney at Legal Action Center; and Lindsey Vuolo, Vice President of Health Law and Policy at Partnership to End Addiction.  

Read the full blog post here.  

People with substance use disorders already face barriers when seeking care, such as coverage gaps, treatment shortages and discrimination in health insurance. These reckless federal actions will deepen this existing crisis.  

Community Catalyst builds power alongside local, state and national organizations to advocate for policies shaped by and accountable to people with substance use disorders. 

To speak with an expert at Community Catalyst about how federal actions will harm people with substance use disorders, please contact Jack Cardinal at jcardinal@communitycatalyst.org.   

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