Study: High rate of opioid use among Medicare recipients
A research letter published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry found that Medicare beneficiaries had the highest and most rapidly growing rate of "opioid use disorder." Six of every 1,000 recipients struggle with the condition, compared with one out of every 1,000 patients covered through commercial insurance plans.
A research letter published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry found that Medicare beneficiaries had the highest and most rapidly growing rate of "opioid use disorder." Six of every 1,000 recipients struggle with the condition, compared with one out of every 1,000 patients covered through commercial insurance plans.
The letter also concluded that Medicare beneficiaries may face a treatment gap. In 2013, doctors prescribed a high number of opioid prescription painkillers for this population, but far fewer prescriptions for buprenorphine-
naloxone, the only effective drug therapy for opioid use disorder covered by Medicare Part D. More than 300,000 Medicare recipients battle with opioid use disorder, according to the study. "We have very effective treatments," said Anna Lembke, one of the research letter's authors and assistant professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine. "But they're not widely accessible." - Kaiser Health News