Week of June 9–13, 2025

The Opioid Crisis

• Opioid overdose deaths in Michigan are projected to drop in 2024, marking the third consecutive year of decline, according to the Department of Attorney General. Data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services shows a 34% reduction in overdose deaths between 2023 and 2024, which is around 1,000 fewer deaths, state officials said. The death rate from 2022 to 2023 decreased by 5.7% from 2,998 to 2,826. The state credits the three-year decline to investments in prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm-reduction efforts, funded in part by national opioid settlements. Read more here.

Research

• These findings suggest that Medicare eligibility at age 65 years was associated with decreased use of mental health outpatient services and increased acute care use among adults with psychological distress. These findings highlight the need for policies that address gaps in mental health care in the Medicare program. Read more here.
• The U.S. death rate from alcohol-related liver disease roughly doubled over two decades and was exacerbated by the pandemic, with women, young adults, and Indigenous people experiencing the sharpest rise, a study in JAMA Network Open found. The increase continued past the acute phase of the pandemic, suggesting lasting changes in alcohol consumption patterns when deaths from other liver diseases like hepatitis C were falling, researchers wrote. Read more here.
• Risk for the composite outcome of dementia, stroke, and late-life depression was higher in people with the shortest versus the longest leukocyte telomeres (HR 1.11 95% CI 1.08-1.15), researchers noted in Neurology. People with the shortest leukocyte telomere length and healthier lifestyles, however, did not have a significant increase in any age-related brain disease (HR 1.04, 95% CI 0.99-1.08). Read more here.

Medicaid and ACA Health Insurance

• Chiseling away at President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Rolling back the green energy tax breaks from President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. At its core, the Republican “big, beautiful bill” is more than just an extension of tax breaks approved during President Donald Trump’s first term at the White House. The package is an attempt by Republicans to undo, little by little, the signature domestic achievements of the past two Democratic presidents. Read more here.

Federal and State Policy

• Physicians are divided over how the massive Republican budget bill moving through Congress would insulate doctors from future Medicare cuts without continuing financial incentives to provide better care through alternative payment models. The "doc fix" championed by the American Medical Association, among other groups, would solve a long-standing complaint about the way Medicare pays physicians. However, some physician groups worry it would maintain a system long criticized for tying pay to the volume of procedures delivered and the number of patients seen. Read more here.
• The Trump administration is working on a new effort to both weaken Congress’ grip on the federal budget and freeze billions of dollars in spending at several government agencies, people familiar with the strategy told POLITICO’s E&E News. The strategy: order agencies to freeze the spending now — then ask Congress’ approval, using a maneuver that allows the cuts to become permanent if lawmakers fail to act. The move would ax billions of dollars beyond the $9.4 billion in White House-requested cuts, known as “rescissions,” that the House approved Thursday. Read more here.