Study finds Medicare patients lack access to opioid abuse treatment

New research published this week found that Medicare beneficiaries had the highest and most rapidly growing rate of opioid disorder (Source: “Study: Medicare Beneficiaries May Face ‘Treatment Gap’ For Painkiller Abuse, Misuse,” Kaiser Health News, July 20, 2016). According to a research letter published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry, 6 of every 1,000 Medicare 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 — which put patients at risk for addiction — but far fewer prescriptions for buprenorphine-naloxone, the only effective drug therapy for opioid use disorder covered by Medicare Part D.

“The take home message is 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.”