Dive Brief:

• Over the past eight years, the Obama administration has overseen significant action aimed at the opioid epidemic and substance misuse issues, according to a report from the White House published on Wednesday.

• During Obama’s presidency, the Affordable Care Act expanded mental health and substance abuse disorder coverage, the Surgeon General published the first-ever report on substance abuse, and CDC established guidelines for opioid prescribing.

• The White House report was published with Congress poised to pass the 21st Century Cures Act, which authorizes $1 billion in funds to fight the opioid epidemic.

Dive Insight:

Nearly 21 million people suffered from a substance use disorder in 2014, according to the report. To complicate matters, at least 2.3 million with mental health conditions also suffered from substance misuse disorders in 2013. Misuse of prescription opioids and heroin has been a particularly troubling trend that contributed to more than 28,000 deaths in 2014.

In its efforts to address mental health issues along with substance use disorders, the Obama administration has taken a balanced approach “built on the scientific research demonstrating that substance use disorder is a chronic disease of the brain that can be successfully prevented and treated,” according to a fact sheet released with the report. The Affordable Care Act alone expanded access to health insurance to more individuals with mental health conditions and substance use disorders, and set standards for health plans that required coverage for mental health conditions.

While steps taken by the Obama administration seem destined to help, the opioid and heroin epidemic affects millions of patients. The federal government will likely have to keep its attention on these issues to help reverse the trend.