Each and every year, I have spent Super Bowl Sunday in a soup kitchen, working alongside and serving individuals of the addiction recovery community.

We are not going to end this opioid epidemic by increasing the use of opioids.

I consider opioid maintenance as a bridge to cross over in addiction recovery, not a final destination.

This is not something that is simple, but it is something that I think is doable.

It sounds like what you are saying the insurance companies are kind of throwing the baby out with the bathwater here.

I am puzzled and amazed to read one particular priority included in their press release, and I quote, 'Exploring bipartisan policy changes to increase use of buprenorphine and developing the training to assist prescribing.'

The immediate tragedy here isn't that some individuals won't be able to taper off maintenance medications, it is that most won't even be able to access an evidence-based treatment modality.

I believe in recovery. I believe in lives being restored so that every individual may live to their full God-given potential and do so drug free.

We need more education to monitor physicians, and more education of monitoring for physicians so they understand prescription drug use here, and what treatment from pain is.

Let me state clearly so as to leave no room for doubt: Our current strategy just isn't working, and I am not going to stop until we start moving in the direction of success, defined not just as getting individuals off of street drugs and…

We need more providers who are trained and experienced with mental illness, severe mental illness, and addiction.

This has been quite an enlightening panel. I have been writing down some of your recommendations.