Opioid crisis got worse thanks to Obamacare

[StLucieBengal]

http://www.dailywire.com/news/18009/opioid-crisis-got-worse-thanks-obamacare-aaron-bandler

Quote:The Opioid Crisis Got WORSE Thanks To Obamacare

June 27, 2017
The Left has used its usual fearmongering tactics to try and spook Republicans out of repealing Obamacare. One tactic involves claiming that repealing Obamacare will exacerbate America's opioid crisis. However, there is data suggesting that the Obamacare actually worsened the opioid crisis.

Here is a Twitter thread providing the following data:












The Spotted Toad account also argued in a blog post that the higher overdose rates in counties that embraced Obamacare isn't due to economic hardship because there hasn't been the same spike in alcohol-related and suicides that would be expected to occur if the root of the problem were economic. In another blog post, the Spotted Toad account argues that what is causing the opioid epidemic is that young people being forced onto insurance – including Medicaid – has opened the door for them to obtain prescriptions to opioid prescriptions.

Buttressing Spotted Toad's theory is this report showing how Medicaid flooded various New York counties with prescriptions that led to opioid abuse:

An exclusive review of Medicaid prescription drug data found oxycodone painkillers flooded into New York from 2012 to 2014, including 8.8 million pills in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties alone, enough for six pain pills for every man, woman and child in the Lower Hudson Valley.

Strikingly, taxpayers funded much of the flow of drugs, covering millions of dollars in Medicaid payments. These pain pills hooked many New Yorkers and started some down the path to heroin, the chemically similar street drug being smuggled into the U.S. in record amounts by Mexican drug cartels.

Statewide, the number of pills paid for just from Medicaid reached 251 million during that same period, enough for 13 pain pills for every New Yorker. The price tag for taxpayers? More than $1 billion based on a review of pain-pill reimbursement rates.

“It’s not just a public health issue. There is a financial impact which would suggest that states should be much more aggressive in their use of this database," said Dr. Andrew Kolodny, executive director of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing.

It is difficult to determine exactly how many pills were prescribed, or how much they cost taxpayers, because the narcotic bureau withheld many details, citing privacy and public safety laws.

Additionally, according to Time, under Obamacare, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) distributed Medicare hospital payments based on patient-satisfaction surveys that asked patients if they were satisfied with how the hospital managed their pain. UC Davis health policy fellow Dr. Nick Sawyer told Time that it's difficult to keep patients satisfied with pain management "without a narcotic."

"This policy is leading to ongoing opioid abuse," Sawyer said.

The Daily Wire's Frank Camp has explained how the opioid crisis is directly tied to unnecessary opioid prescriptions. The evidence does suggest that Obamacare's intentions to get more people insured has had the unfortunate side effect of creating a pipeline for people to obtain such prescriptions that are fueling the crisis.

Therefore, repealing Obamacare will be a crucial step in stemming the opioid epidemic.

Follow Aaron Bandler on Twitter.

[BmorePat87]

Thank god we have AG Sessions to start to prosecute these addicts more and send them to where they belong... private prisons.


Seriously, though, you just posted an article whose source is a twitter account called "spotted toad" that argued that since more people could afford prescription drugs, they then used them to get hooked onto heroin...

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(06-27-2017, 08:19 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: http://www.dailywire.com/news/18009/opioid-crisis-got-worse-thanks-obamacare-aaron-bandler

Medicaid won't pay for a prescription of Tylenol with codeine or narcotic based cough medicines in my area. But, I'm new to Medicaid, but I'm learning. Patients pay out of pocket for those prescriptions or go without.

[Millhouse]

I dont blame the ACA for the heroin epidemic raging across the country. I blame the government for the last few decades that centered more on tobacco and marijuana as heroin slowly grew to be the monster it is today without much being done about it. Then throw in the fact that I also believe certain elements of the government actually allowed (or allowing) it to happen with cartels, drug lords and other foreign entities by turning a blind eye to shipments of it into our country as part of deals made.

I will say this though. Trump should have said we need to build the wall to keep drugs and guns out with more vigilant security towards our neighbor to the south, with illegals as a secondary reason. Maybe he would have got more support on it, because I would be all for more security on our southern border if that was the actual reason for it.

[CKwi88]

(06-27-2017, 09:57 PM)Millhouse Wrote: I dont blame the ACA for the heroin epidemic raging across the country. I blame the government for the last few decades that centered more on tobacco and marijuana as heroin slowly grew to be the monster it is today without much being done about it. Then throw in the fact that I also believe certain elements of the government actually allowed (or allowing) it to happen with cartels, drug lords and other foreign entities by turning a blind eye to shipments of it into our country as part of deals made. 

I will say this though. Trump should have said we need to build the wall to keep drugs and guns out with more vigilant security towards our neighbor to the south, with illegals as a secondary reason. Maybe he would have got more support on it, because I would be all for more security on our southern border if that was the actual reason for it.

The opiod crisis is something so complex that blaming the ACA, or any one thing for that matter, is just lazy. You can point the finger at the big Pharma companies like Purdue that aggressively marketed and misrepresented the potential dangers of opiod addiction. You could blame the lack of time that doctors have to consult with some patients. The lack of alternative pain management options that should be but aren't readily available in many areas affected by the epidemic. The lack of resources when it comes to education and treatment for addiction certainly plays a role in it. It's a huge problem that will take a great amount of effort, resources, and investment to help curb, and it is hard to see any real change coming anytime soon. 


The border crossers and illegal drugs sometimes go hand in hand. Some people crossing the border illegally are so desperate to get here that they end up paying the people with drugs and guns to help smuggle them here. A surprise price of passage can be to act as mules carrying drugs for them. If you refuse, you'll either be abandoned, or killed. 

A wall will do little to slow the drugs coming in however. The most popular method of transportation is still just hiding it away in vehicles and going through an official checkpoint. Not to mention cannons, ladders, ultralight low-flying aircraft, tunnels, hell a fricking trebuchet would probably get the job done. 

And sure, a wall will make foot traffic tougher, but again, necessity is the mother of all invention. The Coyotes will find ways to get people here. The added obstacle of a wall just makes the price go up. Can't afford the price? Better strap this coke/heroin to your waist. 

It's all a gigantic problem. And trying to point the finger at the ACA, or using tens of billions of dollars on a wall instead of investing it in more effective ways to combat opioid abuse and addiction is just lazy and irresponsible, IMO. 

[Vas Deferens]

(06-27-2017, 08:44 PM)BmorePat87 Wrote: Thank god we have AG Sessions to start to prosecute these addicts more and send them to where they belong... private prisons.


Seriously, though, you just posted an article whose source is a twitter account called "spotted toad" that argued that since more people could afford prescription drugs, they then used them to get hooked onto heroin...

Some betas are incapable of realizing that opiod addiction is DECLINING in states with legalized marijuana. They'd rather pump up sessions and his uneducated policies because he looks more like the scared old white man living in the gated community with them. So sad. So beta.

[StLucieBengal]

(06-27-2017, 08:54 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: Medicaid won't pay for a prescription of Tylenol with codeine or narcotic based cough medicines in my area. But, I'm new to Medicaid, but I'm learning. Patients pay out of pocket for those prescriptions or go without.

that's crazy.

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(06-27-2017, 08:19 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: http://www.dailywire.com/news/18009/opioid-crisis-got-worse-thanks-obamacare-aaron-bandler

From the article . . .

Quote:Therefore, repealing Obamacare will be a crucial step in stemming the opioid epidemic.

This is so irritating.  The author is taking an apolitical issue, opioid epidemic and drug overdose, and making it a partisan political issue.  It's suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch complete bullshit.  First of all, the incidence of accidental drug overdose is higher in people with private insurance than the increase shown in the Medicaid expansion states.  So maybe we should repeal private insurance?  Then people wouldn't have access to health insurance and they wouldn't get prescriptions.  Let's take it a step further, deny access to healthcare.  Then patients won't get prescriptions at all.

But no one is suggesting that.  Why?  Because it's f'n stupid.  Private insurance isn't the reason for the opioid epidemic any more than Obamacare is.  Obamacare didn't force those patients to go to the doctor.  Obamacare didn't force the doctors to write those prescriptions.  And Obamacare didn't force the pills down their throats.

The problem is the patients, the doctors, and the misuse.  Emphasis on the misuse.  The inappropriate use of opioids is the main culprit, not the insurance plan of the person misusing the medication.

How do we (providers) know someone is a drug seeker?  We usually don't until after we have seen the patient multiple times and they give us reason to suspect misuse.  Once you suspect someone is a drug seeker, you have to practically be a detective to gather objective evidence to confirm your suspicion.  Georgia didn't get a prescription drug monitoring program until 2013.  Before that, I had to have nurses call the major pharmacies to find out their prescription history.  But, that is only for Georgia.  So we have no idea what patients are getting in other states.  Some states don't have monitoring systems at all.  

If providers had access to a nationwide drug monitoring program it would go much further toward stemming the opioid epidemic than repealing Obamacare.  But, have you heard a single Republican or Democrat suggest such a thing?  Hell, no.  Did the author mention it?  No, because Aaron Bandler is an f'n idiot. 

Spotted toad?  Really?

It's bad enough I gotta listen to Sessions talk about how dangerous marijuana is when scores of people die each year from legal tobacco, alcohol, and opioids.

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(06-28-2017, 12:59 AM)StLucieBengal Wrote: that's crazy.

What part?  That Medicaid doesn't pay for their prescription?  Or they go without?

[StLucieBengal]

(06-28-2017, 01:06 AM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: What part?  That Medicaid doesn't pay for their prescription?  Or they go without?

I don't have a problem with people going without. But I am surprised about Medicaid. What's the point of having it if it sucks that bad.... and why on earth do democrats want us all to be stuck with that nonsense.

This is what scares me about us going single payer. The gov can't get Medicaid or the VA right.

[NATI BENGALS]

My friend in prison told me suboxen is really popular in there. I bet most of it coming in is paid for with tax money.

It does piss me off tax money is being used to buy people drugs to get high. Dumb. Needs to stop. Two week limit or something. Slowly get past the part where withdrawal may kill you. But thats it.

But our new AG wants to demonize people who smoke the ganja.

Half these people getting addicted to pain medicine could use some mary jane and solve their problem.

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(06-28-2017, 01:08 AM)StLucieBengal Wrote: I don't have a problem with people going without.   But I am surprised about Medicaid.  What's the point of having it if it sucks that bad.... and why on earth do democrats want us all to be stuck with that nonsense.  

This is what scares me about us going single payer.   The gov can't get Medicaid or the VA right.

It seems to me conservatives are pissed their money is going to pay for Medicaid for a bunch of free loaders.  But, when they find out Medicaid is the economy class of health insurance without all the bells and whistles and "crazy stuff" they complain it sucks.

Starts a thread to complain Obamacare worsened the opioid epidemic then complains Medicaid sucks when Medicaid doesn't pay for opioid prescriptions.

I don't have an imagination good enough to come up with that on my own.

https://www.statnews.com/2016/11/23/medicaid-opioid-limits/

[StLucieBengal]

(06-28-2017, 02:09 AM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: It seems to me conservatives are pissed their money is going to pay for Medicaid for a bunch of free loaders.  But, when they find out Medicaid is the economy class of health insurance without all the bells and whistles and "crazy stuff" they complain it sucks.

Starts a thread to complain Obamacare worsened the opioid epidemic then complains Medicaid sucks when Medicaid doesn't pay for opioid prescriptions.

I don't have an imagination good enough to come up with that on my own.

https://www.statnews.com/2016/11/23/medicaid-opioid-limits/

What I find funny is that democrats think Medicaid for all is the solution. However it's pretty clear it should just be whitewashed totally. If anything this is the case for no government role in healthcare. The only way you can honestly believe single payer would work is if you believe that Medicaid and the VA are run efficiently/well.

[*wildcats forever*]

(06-28-2017, 09:19 AM)StLucieBengal Wrote: What I find funny is that democrats think Medicaid for all is the solution.  However it's pretty clear it should just be whitewashed totally.   If anything this is the case for no government role in healthcare.   The only way you can honestly believe single payer would work is if you believe that Medicaid and the VA are run efficiently/well.

It's my understanding that it's Medicare for all that's being touted as the single-payer solution, not Medicaid. 

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(06-28-2017, 09:19 AM)StLucieBengal Wrote: What I find funny is that democrats think Medicaid for all is the solution.

That's completely false and I think you knew that when you typed that sentence.

Quote:However it's pretty clear it should just be whitewashed totally.

Why?  Because it isn't as easy for Medicaid patients to get prescription opioids as the article implied?  Every single insurance company has rules concerning prescriptions.  Rules affect every aspect of care.

Quote:If anything this is the case for no government role in healthcare.

Because the government is controlling access to controlled substances?  LOL  Again I don't understand this conservative attitude in which they think Medicaid patients are getting all this "crazy stuff" for free, but when they find out it is safety net they claim we should get rid of it entirely because Medicaid patients don't get all this "crazy stuff" for free.

Quote:The only way you can honestly believe single payer would work is if you believe that Medicaid and the VA are run efficiently/well.

I'm eligible for VA care, but I've never used a VA facility so I can't say how good or bad their care is.  I know if I don't have an informed opinion neither do you.  A lot of non-medical soldiers complained about their healthcare in the Army because they didn't get an MRI for their non-traumatic back pain after the first visit, etc.  But, the military care is on par with civilian care.  In some cases better.  I think I paid like $20 bucks when my daughter was born in 2005.

You should read Matt's thread Sick Around The World.  Plenty of examples of how single payer works well.  You could compare how their health care systems rank compared to the US.  We're #1 in cost, not quality. USA!  USA!  USA!  USA!

[ballsofsteel]

(06-27-2017, 08:19 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: http://www.dailywire.com/news/18009/opioid-crisis-got-worse-thanks-obamacare-aaron-bandler

HaHa Spotted Toad, FAKE NEWS.

[Griever]

(06-28-2017, 09:19 AM)StLucieBengal Wrote: What I find funny is that democrats think Medicaid for all is the solution.  However it's pretty clear it should just be whitewashed totally.   If anything this is the case for no government role in healthcare.   The only way you can honestly believe single payer would work is if you believe that Medicaid and the VA are run efficiently/well.

what we need is for all those lazy bums on medicaid to get real jobs, right?

[Dill]

(06-28-2017, 12:07 AM)CKwi88 Wrote: The opiod crisis is something so complex that blaming the ACA, or any one thing for that matter, is just lazy. You can point the finger at the big Pharma companies like Purdue that aggressively marketed and misrepresented the potential dangers of opiod addiction. You could blame the lack of time that doctors have to consult with some patients. The lack of alternative pain management options that should be but aren't readily available in many areas affected by the epidemic. The lack of resources when it comes to education and treatment for addiction certainly plays a role in it. It's a huge problem that will take a great amount of effort, resources, and investment to help curb, and it is hard to see any real change coming anytime soon. 

Stop logically reviewing a complex of causes.  It started under Obama. That's all I need to know about ANY crisis.

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

https://www.bcbs.com/the-health-of-america/reports/americas-opioid-epidemic-and-its-effect-on-the-nations-commercially-insured

Blue Cross Blue Shield announced this Thursday that opioid addiction is up 493% between 2010 and 2016 among patients with Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance.

Therefore, repealing Obamacare commercial insurance will be a crucial step in stemming the opioid epidemic to use the author's idiotic logic.

[NATI BENGALS]

Wonder what is more of a gateway drug?

Man in the white lab coat who cures all your ailments and represents health and well being handing you some opioid pain medicine when you hurt yourself as a youngin. Getting into your parents liquor. Or smoking the reefer?