Opioid Prescriptions for Medicare Patients Tailing Off (1)

The number of Medicare drug plan beneficiaries receiving opioid prescriptions declined by 700,000 in 2018 as the government continues to battle an ongoing addiction crisis.

Twenty-nine percent of beneficiaries (13.4 million) received opioid prescriptions in 2018, compared with 31% (14.1 million) in 2017, according to data released July 10 by the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The number of patients receiving opioid prescriptions under the Medicare Part D drug plan also dropped in 2017 compared with 2016, the OIG said. Part D provides prescription drug coverage to 46.8 million Medicare beneficiaries.

One health-care attorney said the drop ...