Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Insurers Restricting Access To Less Addictive Medication Because Opioids Are Cheaper
The New York Times/ProPublica: Amid Opioid Crisis, Insurers Restrict Pricey, Less Addictive Painkillers
At a time when the United States is in the grip of an opioid epidemic, many insurers are limiting access to pain medications that carry a lower risk of addiction or dependence, even as they provide comparatively easy access to generic opioid medications. The reason, experts say: Opioid drugs are generally cheap while safer alternatives are often more expensive. (Thomas and Ornstein, 9/17)
The Washington Post: Veterinarians Who Prescribe Opioids For Pets Are Being Told By Some States To Check Pet Owners Prescription History
Some states are taking the war on opioids into veterinarians’ offices, aiming to prevent people who are addicted to opioids from using their pets to procure drugs for their own use. Colorado and Maine recently enacted laws that allow or require veterinarians to check the prescription histories of pet owners as well as their pets. And Alaska, Connecticut and Virginia have imposed new limits on the amount of opioids a vet can prescribe. (Mercer, 9/16)
Sacramento Bee: Heroin Injection Site Bill Fails In CA Legislature
A controversial proposal allowing some California communities to experiment with a new way to handle drug addiction has failed this legislative session. ... Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman, D-Stockton, announced Friday evening that she will try again next year to pass Assembly Bill 186, which would have authorized eight counties with heavy intravenous drug use to create pilot “safe injection sites." (Koseff, 9/15)
The Associated Press: Christie To Spend $200M On New Substance Abuse Initiatives
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie plans to spend $200 million on new initiatives that he hopes will significantly improve the way the state approaches substance abuse treatment and prevention. Christie told NJ.com the money will target programs for underserved populations — the uninsured, Medicaid recipients, babies born with addiction and their mothers. He said the money will come from the budgets of eight state departments. (9/17)
Arizona Republic: Fentanyl Fears Force Policy Change, Testing Backlog Within Arizona DPS
Citing rising concerns about the extra-potent synthetic opioid, the Arizona Department of Public Safety quietly instituted a blanket protocol change that bars troopers from conducting in-the-field testing on suspected drugs. ... While intended to promote trooper safety, the policy change has also resulted in a backlog of more than 2,000 controlled-substance cases in need of testing. (Pohl, 9/16)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Rocky River Nursing Home Offers $375,000 Settlement Involving Overdose Death
A Rocky River nursing home has offered to pay $375,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a woman who died after nurses mistakenly gave her 20 times the prescribed dosage of oxycodone, records show. (Caniglia and Corrigan, 9/17)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Can We Prevent More Overdose Deaths Of People Released After Detoxing In Jail?
Ohio's jails are central to the state's efforts to stem the tide of opioid addiction and death, much as they have been the catch basin for treating our state's most severely mentally ill. As many who run jails told me recently, bed space is almost always available and the healthcare is free. (Dissell, 9/17)
