Opinion: Opioids, hillbillies and Trumpcare

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, March 16, 2017 [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( A typical opioid overdose involves pills that a doctor prescribed legally but that someone other than the intended patient ingested. This pattern is a sign that doctors often prescribe too many pills at once. After surgery, for example, many patients use only a small portion of the painkillers prescribed — and the remainder become available for a relative or friend who’s addicted to painkillers to abuse. Here’s how bad the opioid crisis has become: More Americans now die of overdoses than died of AIDS at the peak of that epidemic, as Atul Gawande writes in [a special report]( published by the Annals of Surgery, a medical journal. The journal’s report points to several common-sense solutions, such as smaller prescription amounts and easier refills for patients who really need painkillers. If you don’t generally enjoy reading medical journals, I sympathize, and suggest you read the short, easily understandable [introduction]( to the opioid report from Gawande, the surgeon and New Yorker writer. I also recommend an [Op-Ed in The Times today]( by J.D. Vance, the author of [“Hillbilly Elegy,”]( one of the most talked-about books of the past year. Vance describes his decision to move back home to Ohio, where he is starting an organization to fight the opioid crisis. (Given Vance’s [prominence]( and interest in policy, I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually ran for office.) Because it’s hard to talk about almost any medical issue without talking about Trumpcare, I also recommend Doyle McManus’s [explanation]( in The Los Angeles Times, of how the Republican health bill would hamper treatment of opioid addiction. More broadly on Trumpcare: Margot Sanger-Katz [debunks]( the idea that it reduces the cost of medical care, while Sarah Kliff and Ezra Klein lay out [the past, present and future]( of the American health care system in a brisk 6,000 words. The full Opinion report from The Times follows. David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist Editorial [Preventing a Free-for-All With Drone Strikes]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD President Obama imposed restraints on drone strikes. President Trump should keep them. Op-Ed Columnist [Disciples of a False Prophet]( By CHARLES M. BLOW Trump’s life story is a pyramid scheme of ambitions. Op-Ed Columnist [Trump Channels Old Hickory]( By GAIL COLLINS A visit to Andrew Jackson’s home was part of Trump’s effort to present himself as Jackson’s outsider soul brother. Op-Ed Columnist [And Jesus Said Unto Paul of Ryan ...]( By NICHOLAS KRISTOF A parable considers the Republican “health care” plan. ADVERTISEMENT Op-Ed Contributor [The Dutch Election Shows How Not to Defeat Populism]( By CAS MUDDE The radical-right firebrand Geert Wilders didn’t win — but the Netherlands didn’t, either. Editorial [Legalizing Discrimination in Europe]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD A court has sided with employers who want to keep outward signs of faith out of the workplace, but in practice it may single out religious minorities. Editorial Notebook [The Russian Revolution: Then and Now]( By SERGE SCHMEMANN The overthrow of the Orthodox czar and Lenin’s victory don’t fit Putin’s preferred narrative of continuous Russian greatness. Taking Note [The Lesson of Trump’s 1040]( By TERESA TRITCH Republican tax policy is a con. Brendan Leach [Contributing Op-Ed Writer]( [Why I’m Moving Home]( By J. D. VANCE Like many rural Americans, I set off in search of opportunity. Now I realize I need to go back. Op-Ed Contributor [Erick Erickson: Don’t Try to Fix Obamacare. Abolish It.]( By ERICK-WOODS ERICKSON For years the Republicans have pledged to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Now that they are in power, they can’t bring themselves to do it. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [The Increasing Significance of the Decline of Men]( By THOMAS B. EDSALL Lower-income men in America are in a bad way. Would better child-care policies make a difference? The Trump family think so. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [A Time to Choose for the Supreme Court]( By LINDA GREENHOUSE Judge Gorsuch’s hearing next week will test whether the modern confirmation process can succeed in eliciting a nominee’s views. Here are a few questions. ADVERTISEMENT On the Ground | Nicholas Kristof [Cracking Down on Abuse in U.S. Gymnastics]( By JESSICA HOWARD I trusted USA Gymnastics, but its institutional tolerance of abusive training helped create a culture conducive to sexual abuse. Letters [Trump’s Tax Return: What Did We Learn?]( Readers are skeptical of the significance — and the genuineness — of the two pages of a 2005 tax form sent to a reporter. FOLLOW OPINION [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytopinion]( [Pinterest] [Pinterest]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »](  | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2017 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018