AGs want health insurers to review policies in opioid fight

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Updated 12:09 pm, Monday, September 18, 2017

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Attorneys general from 35 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia are urging health insurers to review their policies for pain management treatment to spark higher use of alternatives to opioid prescriptions.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey on Monday announced the bipartisan coalition's efforts in the ongoing fight to end opioid addiction.

Morrisey says in a news release that the coalition wants health insurers to avoid contributing unintentionally to the deadly problem.

Other co-sponsors of the effort are attorneys general from Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Mexico, Utah and Virginia.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/AGs-want-health-insurers-to-review-policies-in-12206383.php

[Freethinker65]

1. Don't worry, the new GOP non-comprehensive policies will cover very little.

[DeadLetterOffice]

2. And those who must live with chronic pain...

... can just go suck eggs. Most of us don't WANT to be on opioids, we HAVE to be if we're going to have any quality of life.

If they would just legalize medical marijuana on a Federal level, they'd see a helluva drop in opioid prescriptions.

[stuffmatters]

3. Just Plain Criminal. Insurance forcing patients to take addictive drugs instead of non addictive

And it applies not just to painkillers but other drugs as well. I know for weight loss they refuse to pay for Contrave, which is non addictive, and will only pay for the addictive "phens" (phen like in amphetamine i.e. Speed)

Insurance Companies are flat out pushing drug addiction. If an opiod is the only painkiller that works for some, then that is understandable. But to force people to take opiates or speed when they can or ask to be prescribed non addictive alternatives is
Just Plain Criminal.

There should be a National Bill to force insurance companies to pay automatically for non addictive alternatives to any opiate or amphetamine. As it stands now, they claim that patients can enter the dispute process to get waivers (blah,blah) BUT
the patient never wins the case and is stuck with taking addictive drugs or nothing.

Mandatory Pushing only addictive drugs not only increases the numbers of addicted people, it also is a living nightmare to anyone
trying to maintain their long term sobriety. It is incomprehensible when a non addicting alternative could be prescribed instead.