Meaningful Accountability

Written by Ryan Hampton and Teresa Cobleigh

Meaningful Accountability, Not Just Promises, Will Curb the Overdose Crisis

Two advocates from the front lines demand professional standards and patient safety across addiction treatment.

One of us, Ryan, fights every single day to maintain long-term recovery from a substance use disorder that nearly cost him everything. The other, Teresa, lives with the permanent, aching void left by the loss of her beloved son, Spencer, at age 24 to a preventable overdose. This loss came after losing her son Graham in 2014 at age 17, who died in early recovery shortly after leaving rehab. Losing both of her children to this epidemic has left an irreplaceable emptiness. We come from different places – one grounded in the hope of recovery, the other in the profound grief of loss – but we stand united by a shared, devastating understanding: the system designed to help people like Ryan, and meant to save sons like Spencer and Graham, is fundamentally broken.

Teresa’s sons’ deaths weren’t just personal tragedies; they were fatal symptoms of a national failure, one rooted in inconsistent standards, inadequate oversight, and the insidious creep of profit motives into spaces where healing should be the only priority. We represent millions of Americans touched by this crisis, demanding more than acknowledgments and incremental steps; we demand systemic change that prioritizes safety and accountability above all else.

The scale of the overdose epidemic is staggering, claiming tens of thousands of lives annually – a death toll exceeding that of any war fought this century. We commend the current Administration for recognizing the severity of this emergency and outlining a strategy focused on reducing overdoses, expanding access to evidence-based treatments like Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), and supporting long-term recovery.

However, these commendable goals risk becoming hollow rhetoric if we fail to address the deep-seated systemic barriers, establish rigorous professional standards across the entire continuum of care, and hold accountable those entities – from insurers to treatment providers – who demonstrably prioritize profit over patient well-being. Budget cuts and funding clawbacks further threaten these vital efforts, undermining the very safeguards needed.

A critical element of the White House strategy involves holding accountable those who traffic dangerous fentanyl-laced drugs. Addressing supply is necessary, but it paints an incomplete picture. We must broaden our focus beyond street-level actors to include the corporate and private interests whose business practices contribute to the crisis. Instead of criminalizing individuals battling addiction – a recognized chronic health condition – we need robust standards that compel all players in the healthcare ecosystem to align with public health priorities. This means scrutinizing pharmaceutical companies that inflate prices for drugs developed with taxpayer money, insurers who erect bureaucratic walls delaying or denying essential care, and healthcare providers, including treatment centers and sober living homes, who may neglect patient safety or fail to offer evidence-based practices.

The emergency powers invoked should mandate that private interests participating in the addiction treatment and recovery space prioritize public health and patient safety over profit margins. Reducing overdoses, ensuring effective treatment, and promoting sustained recovery must be non-negotiable prerequisites for operation. Industries spanning pharmaceuticals, health insurance, treatment facilities, recovery residences, and even related sectors must be held to account. Corporations cannot be exempt from the responsibility we expect of individuals; those whose actions or negligence contribute to harm must face meaningful consequences.

Why does America lag behind other developed nations in key healthcare outcomes despite spending significantly more? Countries like the United Kingdom invest in their health infrastructure and enforce rigorous patient safety standards system-wide. The national debate over healthcare as a right versus a privilege has hindered our ability to implement similar safeguards, leaving vulnerable lives hanging in the balance.

The most effective path forward involves reconciling free-market principles with our urgent national health priorities by codifying clear, enforceable professional standards for the addiction treatment and recovery sector. These standards would function similarly to fiduciary duties in finance or real estate, legally obligating providers to deliver safe, patient-centered, evidence-based care. Codifying such standards would efficiently invest in America’s health by shifting primary responsibility for safety and outcomes onto the private sector providers profiting from care, empowering individuals and families with stronger legal recourse against negligence or abuse, and justifying sustained federal funding by ensuring taxpayer dollars support quality services. This approach should attract bipartisan support, being both fiscally responsible and incentivizing excellence. It provides clarity for industry on liabilities while building reputational value for those adhering to high standards.

Implementing this framework requires concrete actions: Codify professional standards across all healthcare settings dealing with addiction. Mandate that all treatment programs and licensed sober homes provide access to MOUD and integrated mental health care supports. Aggressively negotiate fair drug prices, particularly for addiction treatment medications. Rigorously enforce existing patient protection laws like the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA). Eliminate insurance barriers like prior authorizations that fatally delay critical care. Incentivize harm reduction centers not just as points of contact, but as pathways to stabilization and MOUD access. Finally, ensure safe, supported transitions from emergency rooms, courts, and correctional facilities through comprehensive care assessments and warm handoffs.

This epidemic was decades in the making, rooted in unregulated markets and fueled by the greed of corporations like Purdue Pharma. It has already stolen over a million lives. To meet the terrible urgency of this moment, we must move beyond promises and address the systemic barriers to quality care and professional accountability. It requires a collective reckoning – an honest examination of how the profit motive has been allowed to corrupt the mission of healing. Confronting this reality and enacting reforms that truly prioritize American lives is the only way to reclaim our nation’s health and safety from this devastating crisis.

Ryan Hampton is a person in long-term recovery, author, and national recovery advocate. Teresa Cobleigh is a bereaved parent and advocate for systemic change through Spencer’s Law (Safe, Patient-centered, Evidentiary, Needs-based Care for Effective Recovery).