Indiana AG Calls On Insurers To Encourage Non-Opioid Pain Meds

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill wants insurers to revise policies he says contribute to the opioid epidemic plaguing the state and the country. Hill joins a coalition of 37 states asking insurance companies to encourage non-opioid pain management options.

In many cases, it’s still easier for patients to get opioids than other pain medications or alternatives. A recent letter from attorneys general – including Hill – urges health insurance companies to consider different policies that would prioritize opioid alternatives.

Indiana University Health’s Daniel Ruscyniak says a lot of attention has been placed on overprescribing.

“The word over is maybe the wrong word,” he says. “To stop prescribing opioids without consideration for their risks.”

Indianapolis-based Anthem says its plans have seen a 12 percent drop in opioid prescriptions in the past year. The company says it’s made recent moves to limit the number of prescriptions and alert doctors to at-risk patients.

Ruscyniak says drug companies mislead doctors and insurers about the ability of opioids to tackle chronic pain.

“The companies that made a profit on these potent, long acting opioids played a big role,” says Ruscyniak.

He also says better communication has to be a part of the solution.

“We need to do a better job of educating patients on the front end,” he says, “saying ‘look this is what we’re going to treat you with, these are the risks and we’re going to need to get you off of these medications.’”

The attorneys general letter urges insurance companies to incentivize other alternatives like physical therapy and non-opioid medicine.