The Relationship Between Alcohol & Health

Alcohol & Substance Use

Learn about the latest news on substance use, including views on alcohol, and how fentanyl deaths are declining.

• Alcohol Awareness: April is alcohol-awareness month and an opportunity to reflect on the impacts of alcohol use and how alcohol-related deaths have increased over the last decade, with a sharp increase during early-pandemic years. A new Pew Research Center survey explores Americans' views on the risks and benefits of alcohol consumption. A majority of routine drinkers, 59%, say their alcohol use increases their risk of serious physical health problems at least a little.
• Fentanyl Deaths Declining: Recent preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates a 25% decrease in opioid overdose deaths for the 12-month period ending in October 2024, compared to the same timeframe in 2023. This is driven in large part by a reduction in the number of deaths involving fentanyl. The Wall Street Journal examines the decline in a series of charts. KFF Health News discusses how misinformation about fentanyl is impacting the overdose response.
  
• Federal Funding: A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from terminating a variety of public health funds that had been allocated to states during the Covid-19 pandemic, including funding that was being used to support opioid addiction and mental health treatments. The administration also closed the office that tracked alcohol-related deaths and harms and helped develop policies to reduce them.

Resources & Initiatives

• The US Surgeon General’s 2025 Advisory, Alcohol and Cancer Risk, describes the scientific evidence for the causal link between alcohol consumption and an increased risk for cancer.
• NPR dives into 8 theories from experts on why fentanyl overdose deaths are declining, including increased access to Naloxone, better public health, and the waning effects of the COVID pandemic.
  
• The National Academy for State Health Policy’s State Opioid Settlement Spending Decisions tracker shares state-level settlement funding decisions and priorities.
  
• With support from a $5.4 million Elevance Health Foundation grant, Shatterproof created an online training curriculum for healthcare professionals that aims to dispel myths and misunderstandings about substance use disorder, and promote person-centered, culturally responsive care.

Health Industry News

• Weight Loss Drugs: The Trump Administration will not implement the Biden Administration’s plan to expand weight loss drug coverage under Medicaid and Medicare. Research from the Annals of Internal Medicine reports glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug usage by adults without diabetes has more than tripled from 2018 to 2022, raising annual spending from $1.6 billion to $5.8 billion. As weight loss drug usage becomes popular and market demand stabilizes, polling data shows 30.2% of surveyed seniors approved of paying higher Medicare premiums to cover weight loss drugs. New reports from I-MAK and ICER explore GLP-1 drug costs, and strategies to ensure affordable and equitable access.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI): A recent Nature Medicine study is one of the first to demonstrate how an AI algorithm can help doctors make better clinical decisions for sick newborns. Google has added a new AI feature, which assists users with finding online commentary from patients with similar diagnoses. In a special report, the National Academy of Medicine underscores the transformational potential of AI in the health care industry. Additionally, the Peterson Health Technology Institute analyzes and proposes solutions addressing various underlying factors impacting AI adoption.

• Health Care Access: A new Gallup survey reveals 11% of US adults are unable to afford or access quality health care, the highest level reported since 2021. Despite efforts to expand telehealth, a new study published in The American Journal of Managed Care reveals older adults and Black patients were more likely to experience failed video visits. People in rural areas continue to experience lower access to health care and reliable high speed internet.

Health Policy Watch

A new health policy landscape is taking shape as the Trump Administration restructures HHS and issues new policies.

• Tariffs Hit Health Care: The tariff scenario remains fluid, but medical devices produced in India, Mexico, and Canada, and pharmaceutical components from China, are on the list. If the tariffs continue, experts say there will be supply chain disruptions and price increases on many products. As of this writing, pharmaceuticals are temporarily exempted, but if the exemption is lifted, drug shortages and prices may increase on more than 400 drugs made in Canada, as well as others made in India and China.

• Federal Health Offices Closed: The administration has closed the CMS Office of Minority Health and the HHS Office of Minority Health. The HHS office that sets the federal poverty level and maps Medicaid funding for the states was also eliminated, along with the CMS Health Equity Advisory Committee and the CDC’s Office of Smoking and Health. These actions may impact research and prevention efforts for many underserved populations, including residents of rural areas.

• Health Agencies Merged: Five HHS agencies—the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health—will be combined into one agency, the new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). According to an HHS official, this action will improve the coordination of chronic care and disease prevention programs for low-income Americans.

• Medicaid Spending Restricted: A new round of CMS cuts will eliminate $2.7 billion in funding for the states, including support for high-speed internet connections in rural areas and non-medical in-home services.
• HIV Prevention Efforts Limited: A recent round of HHS restructuring included the elimination of several programs and research focused on HIV prevention.

Maternal & Child Health

Updates, new research and strategies on maternal and child health.

• Survey Data: The recent layoffs at HHS have eliminated the team overseeing the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). This annual survey is a crucial source of data for improving infant and maternal health. The future of the survey is unknown.

• Maternal Mortality: A new study found that pregnancy-related death rates in the US rose almost 28 percent from 2018 to 2022 and that nearly one-third of maternal deaths took place more than six weeks after childbirth. A separate, recent study found that maternal cardiovascular-related deaths more than doubled between 1999 and 2022, and that Black women and women living in Southern states bear a disproportionate share of the burden.

• Birth Rate: A recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics shows births among women in their 40s have more than tripled since 1990, while the teen birth rate has dropped to an historic low.
• Infant Formula: The Food and Drug Administration announced "Operation Stork Speed," a plan to strengthen the infant formula supply and quality that includes reviewing nutrients, increasing testing for contaminants, and encourage the development of new formulas.
  
• Measles Vaccine Gaps: The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine provides 93% protection against measles with the first dose, recommended between 12 and 15 months, and 97% protection after the second dose, recommended between 4 and 6 years old. A new report from Truveta reveals that in 2024, only 68.5% of children in the US received their first vaccine dose by 15 months, a sizable decrease from recent years.
  

Resources & Initiatives

• Health Care Service Corporation is using their maternal and infant health initiative to help community-based organizations adopt technology solutions for their clients in Texas, Illinois, and New Mexico. At a clinic in Texas, this includes a new program to track a patient’s blood pressure, request no-cost rides to doctor’s appointments, order prescription medications and connect with behavioral health care specialists.
• The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has opened the Center for AI in Children’s Health aimed at enhancing health care outcomes for children through AI.
• Florida Blue Foundation awarded eight grants through their Maternal Health grant program, including obstetric nurse navigators, mobile clinics, telehealth services, community-based doulas, and evidence-based group treatment programs.
• The 2024 report by the Arizona Department of Health Services spotlights health concerns related to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. AZ Blue outlines their efforts to support mothers through care managers who assist members with mental health and food insecurity needs. Additionally, AZ Blue’s support of the Roya Health Foundation is helping pregnant women access substance abuse recovery services.

Measles Update

According to the CDC, the US measles total has surpassed 700 cases, with 93% of confirmed cases linked to seven outbreaks. A second unvaccinated child has died from measles. The New York Times is actively tracking and mapping the US measles outbreaks.