Fierce Healthcare December 14, 2023
Medicare beneficiaries are not getting adequate support and treatment for opioid use disorder, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) declared in an annual report on Thursday.
In the report (PDF), the Office of Inspector General’s office said most of the deaths are due to fentanyl.
“Fewer than one in five Medicare enrollees with opioid use disorder received medication to treat their disorder,” the report reads.
In 2022, 1.1 million people enrolled in Medicare were diagnosed with the disorder. The proportion of the Medicare population that has received treatment is similar to 2021, with HHS speculating stigma and difficulties accessing providers that prescribe treatment as two possible reasons for complications.
Of the 18%, or 210,771 enrollees, who did receive...
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