Medicare Advantage is thelargest single purchaser of opioids; it accounts for more than afifth of prescription opioid spending and in 2017. (Photo:Shutterstock)
Recent data show that drug overdose deaths in the U.S. were 10percent higher in 2017 than 2016, with an almost 50 percentincrease in those related to synthetic opioids. A new research paper pointsto a glimmer of hope in this otherwise bleak story: MedicareAdvantage insurance companies seem to be doing a surprisingly goodjob at mitigating opioid abuse.
Medicare plays a larger role in the epidemic than many peoplemay appreciate. The program is the largest single purchaser ofopioids; it accounts for more than a fifth of prescription opioid spending and in 2017 alonespent more than $3 billion on these drugs. And use is relativelywidespread: Almost a third of people receiving drug coveragethrough Medicare obtained an opioid prescription last year. Someresearch even suggests the expansion of drug coverage underMedicare's Part D is partially responsible for the problem, byreducing the cost of prescribed drugs to consumers (even if thepeople receiving the lower-cost prescriptions diverted the drugs toothers).
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