West Virginia University College of Law professor Valarie Blake presented at the Utah Law Review Symposium on Friday, November 30, 2018. The symposium is titled "The Opioid Crisis: Paths Forward to Mitigate Regulatory Failure". The symposium was designed to examine failures of the pharmaceutical market, inadequate regulatory responses, and possible solutions. Scholars discussed the impact of regulation from the national and state level, the impact of addiction on communities, and how public health research should inform future policy and regulation decisions.
Professor Blake participated in a panel discussion, "State Regulation: Failures and Paths Moving Forward".
From the program:
There are at least two areas where State policies and regulation have impacted the opioid crisis: (1) regulation of private insurance, and (2) law enforcement. This panel will discuss how state-regulated private insurance has contributed to the opioid crisis through its failure to address patient needs, and in some cases, failing to comply with the ACA. States will need to address these issues, and panelists will offer ideas on effective regulation of private health insurance. The panel will also discuss state law enforcement of prescription drug monitoring programs. Law enforcement may seek information from a variety of sources during the course of a criminal investigation, including from public health databases such as those underlying Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs). However, states vary on the protections provided to information from PDMPs, and the requirements law enforcement must comply with prior to accessing PDMP information. An analysis of the relationship between state privacy laws and law enforcement use of PDMP information will be discussed, as well as an assessment of the impact of state privacy laws on public health and safety outcomes and recommendations for policymakers.