What’s Wrong With This Picture?

Sometimes, our headlines seem strangely at odds with each other. I had that reaction when I read our recent coverage of two studies—One In Three Medicare Part D Beneficiaries Prescribed Opioids In 2017 and Over Half Of Adults With Opioid Use Disorder Report Criminal Justice Involvement. The quick summary: Medicare is paying $3.5 billion per year for opioid prescriptions and $347.6 million a year for medications to treat opioid addiction (see Updated Medicare Part D Opioid Drug Mapping Tool Unveiled); while at the same time, over half of people who develop an opioid use disorder end up . . .