Mary Aldred-Crouch (center) and other counselors talk with West Virginia Governor Jim Justice (left) about alcohol and drug abuse issues at an advocacy day in March.

As they fight the opioid crisis, addiction counselors see a grave new threat: the GOP health plan

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — When the Republicans’ first effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act collapsed earlier this spring, Mary Aldred-Crouch, an addiction counselor here, saw that failure as a victory. “It was Snoopy dance time,” she said.

But the Republicans didn’t give up. And when the House passed a more conservative version of the GOP health plan last week, Aldred-Crouch felt her anxiety spike. West Virginia, like other states afflicted by the opioid crisis, lately has seen so many more patients with drug addiction find treatment.