The Global Health Advocacy Incubator's Overdose Prevention Initiative submitted public comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to its Request for Information on the Chronic Disease of Addiction. The comments urge HHS to use the Great American Recovery Initiative to strengthen access to evidence-based treatment, protect continuity of care and sustain the data systems needed to evaluate progress.
We applaud the administration for recognizing addiction as a chronic, treatable disease. Federal policy must now reflect that commitment. GHAI's comments highlight priorities for HHS, including low-barrier access to buprenorphine, Medicaid continuity for people leaving incarceration, parity enforcement for substance use disorder treatment, durable telehealth access in rural and underserved communities, stronger overdose surveillance systems and privacy guardrails for artificial intelligence tools in behavioral health care.
The comments also call for alignment between the Great American Recovery Initiative, the National Drug Control Strategy and federal funding decisions. New initiatives should strengthen, not draw down, the prevention, treatment, recovery support, overdose response and surveillance capacity already in place.
Read GHAI's full submission for the policy actions needed to sustain progress and close treatment gaps.
