LANSING, Mich. (July 1, 2025) — The opioid epidemic is a public health crisis, averaging five deaths a day in Michigan for an estimated total of 1,927 in 2024. Building on current efforts aimed at addressing this devastating and ongoing emergency, Sen. Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores) introduced a comprehensive package of evidence-based policies designed to expand access to support services, reduce the risk of overdoses, and improve both short- and long-term treatment outcomes. Today, the Michigan Senate acted in bipartisan fashion to pass Senate Bills 397 and 399–405.
“Too many Michigan families have felt the pain of losing a loved one to opioid addiction — and they deserve more than sympathy. They deserve action,” said Sen. Hertel, Chair of the Senate Health Policy Committee. “These bills aim to deliver real, immediate solutions that reflect what we’ve heard from medical professionals, recovery advocates, and families on the frontlines: we need fewer barriers, more access to care, and stronger tools to prevent overdose deaths. With this legislation, we can turn the tide on this epidemic and ensure help is available when and where it’s needed most.”
This package was developed through extensive stakeholder conversations with care providers, researchers, and policy experts across Michigan and throughout the nation — leveraging best practices implemented in other states and research findings from leading institutions and those on the frontline of the issue. More specifically, this legislation would:
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Remove dosage maximums: Senate Bill 397 (Hertel) requires the Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to remove prior authorization for any prescription drug used for the treatment of opioid withdrawal symptom management or opioid use disorder.
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Expand access to addiction medications: Senate Bill 403 (Singh) requires pharmacists to make a good-faith effort to fill the order of a lawful addiction medication prescription without undue delay
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Allow for the co-prescribing of naloxone: Senate Bill 401 (Santana) allows for the co-prescribing of an opioid antagonist with an opioid or narcotic to help prevent overdose deaths resulting from unintentional misuse of prescription medication.
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Break down insurance barriers to treatment: Senate Bill 400 (Hertel) prohibits prior authorization on medications for Opioid and Alcohol Use Disorder in commercial insurance plans.
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Reduce overdoses among adolescents: Senate Bills 404 and 405 (Camilleri) require school nurses to carry naloxone.
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Expand treatment at critical access points: Senate Bill 402 (Wojno) allows Medicaid to cover street medicine services, including prescribing and dispensing of medications at rural health clinics, certified community behavioral health centers, and more.
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Prevent dangerous fentanyl deaths: Senate Bill 399 (Irwin) removes fentanyl testing strips’ classification as drug paraphernalia, allowing their usage and helping individuals make safer choices.
“Expanding access to proven substance use treatment is the most effective way to address the overdose crisis in Michigan,” said Andrew Whitacre, a senior officer with Pew Charitable Trusts’ substance use prevention and treatment initiative. “The reforms in this bipartisan bill package will save lives.”
In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 500,000 people died of an opioid overdose in the last two decades — and the state of Michigan is no exception to this epidemic. Prescription drug and opioid misuse have impacted communities in every corner of the state, with the total number of opioid overdose deaths increasing more than 17 times from 1999 to 2016. However, thanks to collaboration between the Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and community-based organizations such as CARE of Southeastern Michigan and Families Against Narcotics, in addition to the $1.6 billion the state has begun to receive from settlements — opioid overdose deaths in Michigan have been steadily declining for three solid years.
However, federal funding cuts to programs like Medicaid now threaten to halt or even reverse the progress Michigan has been making in reducing overdose deaths. These uncertainties underscore why tackling this issue at the state level is so critical. Policies such as the ones advanced by the Senate today will continue building on the state’s positive momentum to ensure treatment remains accessible and communities have the tools they need to respond effectively to this crisis. They also serve to provide a long-term economic benefit to the state, as the Northern Michigan Opioid Response Consortium finds that every dollar spent on recovery provides a 10% return.
As Chair of the Senate Health Policy Committee, Sen. Hertel has been focused on advancing evidence-based policies to address Michigan’s opioid crisis. Last year, he participated in the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Opioid Policy Fellows Program, where he worked with other legislators and policy experts to explore emerging research, exchange ideas, and identify innovative solutions. He also introduced Senate Bill 542 of 2023, which sought to expand community access to overdose-reversal drugs.