Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over a federal policy that allows hospitals to perform emergency abortions irrespective of state laws.

The Department of Health and Human Services released the federal guidance on Monday. The guidance came after President Joe Biden signed an executive order tasking HHS to protect emergency abortion services.

Paxton said that this edict from the Biden administration oversteps its authority after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court last month.

“This administration has a hard time following the law, and now they are trying to have their appointed bureaucrats mandate that hospitals and emergency medicine physicians perform abortions,” Paxton said. “I will ensure that President Biden will be forced to comply with the Supreme Court’s important decision concerning abortion and I will not allow him to undermine and distort existing laws to fit his administration’s unlawful agenda.”

Texas law prohibits abortions after six weeks. But the Biden administration says hospitals must continue to perform abortions in emergencies.

“Under the law, no matter where you live, women have the right to emergency care — including abortion care,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Today, in no uncertain terms, we are reinforcing that we expect providers to continue offering these services, and that federal law preempts state abortion bans when needed for emergency care. Protecting both patients and providers is a top priority, particularly in this moment. Health care must be between a patient and their doctor, not a politician. We will continue to leverage all available resources at HHS to make sure women can access the life-saving care they need.”

As the delta variant surges across the country, the Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday announced it is investing $1.6 billion in an effort to boost COVID-19 testing and mitigation efforts in facilities that are at risk of outbreaks.

In a press release Thursday, the HHS said the funding — allocated to the agency in the latest round of COVID-19 stimulus — will fight the virus in areas with high-risk populations prone to outbreaks, including prisons, homeless shelters, and treatment and recovery facilities and domestic violence shelters.

"As we continue the vaccination program to get more Americans protected, it is important that we double down on our efforts to increase testing especially in vulnerable communities," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. "Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, we can make sure high-risk environments like correctional facilities and shelters for those experiencing homelessness have greater capacity for testing to prevent potential outbreaks and continue our nation's progress in moving out of the pandemic."

According to the press release, the funding will be used to increase testing abilities, hire contact traces, purchase personal protective equipment and continue vaccinations among populations in such facilities.

HHS's announcement comes as the delta variant surges across the country. According to the CDC, the highly transmissible strain of COVID-19 currently accounts for 83% of cases throughout the country, and cases of the virus have ticked up for the first time in several months.

According to the CDC and top health officials in the White House, Americans who are vaccinated have significant protection from the delta variant and should feel comfortable going without masks and social distancing unless their local health department says otherwise.

However, to Americans who have not yet been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the CDC says the delta variant poses a significant risk. Experts say the delta variant is 50% more transmissible than the beta variant, which was first detected in the U.K. in late 2020.

Health experts fear that as the delta variant continues to spread, communities in which vaccination rates are low may see a surge in hospitalizations and deaths linked to the virus.

Advocates say there's a huge need for expanded access to medication as the number of victims affected by opioid use disorder continues to rise.

Looking at pictures of Adam Black in a bodybuilding competition, you'd never know that he's 7 years in recovery from opioid addiction.

“I hit a spiritual bottom and everything around me was falling apart. I couldn’t keep anything together in my life, the drugs become everything to you,” said Black.

When those drugs truly become everything to you, Black says, you "lose yourself."

He describes running out of money and says, "I couldn’t feed my addiction anymore, so I started breaking into unlocked cars, stealing change, trying to feed my addiction and, being an addict, I couldn’t do anything right, couldn’t even be a criminal right.”

He went to prison for three years, and then he ended up in the hospital.

“(I) Got heart surgery. I was like 150 pounds at the time, that was one of my rock bottoms, right there, that changed my life, that I can’t keep going this way.”

It was then that he was able to change. It wasn't overnight, but eventually he found Groups Recover Together, and received medication-assisted treatment.

He says, “I don’t have cravings anymore. I’m able to maintain a job, a family, everything I was working so hard to get, I’m able to have that now, and I owe it all to Groups.”

Dr. Gus Crothers is an addiction medicine specialist. He treats people with substance abuse disorders.

“The treatment is a combination of medication, counseling, and lifestyle changes. And those are the same core treatments we use for managing any chronic disease," said Crothers.

He says one of the treatments has tight, and some say, outdated restrictions. It's known as the "X-Waiver" and it requires doctors to get extra training before they can prescribe buprenorphine.

It's a legal hurdle that dates back to the early 2000s.

“When we have such an access gap to medications, people are thinking we should get rid of the data waiver and get rid of those restrictions that limit access to treatment,” Crothers said.

We asked the Department of Health and Human Services about the waiver, which has become confusing for some.

The Trump administration removed the X-Waiver shortly before President Joe Biden's inauguration. Recently, the current administration reversed that decision. A spokesperson for HHS says the previous announcement was made prematurely, but they are committed to "examine ways to increase access to buprenorphine."

Which means, doctors still need extra training to prescribe the treatment, which people like Black say, is life-changing and lifesaving.

“I still take the medication. I’m weaning down as we speak. I sponsor a couple of other guys, I check in with 3 or 4 other people at our group. You can’t do this alone, you need to be there for the people who are going through this," Black said.

You can't go it alone, and Black says, you can get help.