The opioid crisis is often talked about, especially during election seasons. Politicians and their parties bandy the phrase about with faces of grim concern, but how serious is it really?
It is indeed very serious: between 2015 and 2025 it is estimated there will have been over 700,000 deaths from overdoses on opioid medications. Morphine, fentanyl and oxycodone are just some of the hard drugs being prescribed throughout the world and producing dangerous dependence in many if not most users.
The culprit for most cases is back pain. More than 80% of adults will experience severe back pain at some point in their life, and it is the second-most common reason for an adult to seek a physician’s input. Unfortunately, opioid medications can only mask the pain in a patient’s back, it does not eliminate it at the source.
This all but guarantees that a man or woman prescribed an opioid will be back for more, and since they are inevitably addictive, a dependence is created. This is happening at an alarming rate, producing a health emergency throughout the world, and brining fresh scrutiny to the role of insurance in the crisis.
The Relationship Between Insurance and Opioids
The obvious reason for this fresh criticism is the simple fact that insurance companies are footing the bill for this medication. The primary form of insurance supplying the funds for opioid medications is worker’s compensation. Seventy percent of employers report that opioid addiction has affected their business in some way. Many injuries sustained on the job can lead to chronic pain, which is currently being treated with running prescriptions of opioids.
Some have blasted providers for focusing on profits over people – pills are much more profitable in the long run as opposed to real care that leads to permanent change, it is claimed. Especially as more and more information comes out detailing the ineffectiveness of opioids, the heat can be expected to turn up on doctors who turn to opioids as a single source of treatment. Public opinion has been known to be vicious in the face of widespread personal struggle and grief.
Coming Changes
But it may not be entirely fair to blame the insurance companies. When opioids first began to be prescribed at a greater pace, doctors and patients were assured that these medications were not addictive, and very effective. However, that analysis seems laughable now, so what changes are coming?
Actually, some changes are already being made. With insurance companies and the medical community working together, almost every state in the U.S. has seen prescriptions and addiction rates decline, and similar numbers are to be expected around the world as awareness is raised. Doctors have begun switching their recommendations to other kinds of therapies, and most importantly weight loss. Everyone may have been wrong on this one, but now the demand is rising for everyone to admit their mistake and make a change.
Sources:
https://www.statnews.com/2019/03/27/opioid-crisis-insurers-employers-back-pain/
https://www.iii.org/insuranceindustryblog/tag/opioid-crisis/
https://amtrustfinancial.com/blog/small-business/industries-affected-opioid-epidemic