OHA considers removing opioid treatment from health plan
https://www.koin.com/news/health/oha-considers-removing-opioid-treatment-from-health-plan/1310298073
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Growing concern over opioid addiction and overdose has prompted state health officials to create a proposal that would eliminate prescription opioids from the Oregon Health Plan by 2019.
State health leaders’ concern about addiction, however, is matched by anger from advocates of opioids for some pain conditions.
Julia recently had eye surgery. It did not go well. She said she’s tried other alternatives, but they haven’t worked. She said she’s tried 30 different medications and surgeries.
“I have scar tissue attached to the back of my eye,” she said. “It feels like I have a Charlie horse every day.”
Advocates of opioid treatment say removing the option would be discriminatory.
Amara, another patient, said she deserves to have opioid treatment as an option.
“I’ve proven it works successfully for me,” she said. “I’ve gone down a long journey to get to that point. It wasn’t my first choice.”
On Thursday, they plan to hold a protest against the proposal in front of the Oregon health Authority in Salem.
State health leaders tell KOIN 6 News the evidence review committee will gather public opinion before any decision is made.
“All this medicine does is make me be able to live,” Julie said.
Did anyone notice that Oregon is one of the handful of states that has a “death with dignity ” law ?.. So the state of Oregon is taking away the pain medication from Medicaid pts… ones who can probably not afford to pay for them – since they are “poor” and on Medicaid…
So as these chronic pain pts’ pain levels soars up the pain scale.. the state is ready, willing and able to facilitate a chronic pain pt’s desires to resolve their pain with the “final solution”…
Just by chance… the pts that take this options will be one less “taker” on the state’s Medicaid program. So is the state of Oregon… moving from the “covert genocide” that many suspect is going on in this country to a few steps away to a LESS COVERT GENOCIDE ?
According to this article https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/02/oregon_revenue_forecast_3.html the state of Oregon is running abt 1.6 BILLION budget SHORTFALL… Could they be trying to balance the budget on some of the poorest and sickest in the state ?
Oregon is the same state where the Sweet Cake Bakery https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/court-rules-against-oregon-bakers-who-refused-make-gay-wedding-n833321 was fined $135,000 for discriminating against a gay couple for refusing to bake a wedding cake by Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries.
So it would appear that the Oregon bureaucrats won’t tolerate some discrimination by some in the business community, but apparently when the same bureaucracy will itself discriminate against those in the society that are the most poor and the sickest of the sick without any repercussions.
Filed under: General Problems
https://www.statnews.com/2018/08/15/oregon-medicaid-tapering-opioids/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=5131375a3f-MR_COPY_08&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-5131375a3f-150804513
Steve– don’t forget this is also the state that’s so big on “death with dignity.” They just don’t approve of life with dignity, apparently.
Genocide at its finest! To allow such unnecessary suffering with an ulterior motive to deplete the population of its most vulnerable of society in the name of greed is the most inhumane thing the USA has ever done. They sit back and watch this happen with no strategy to stop such unethical treatment amd neglect. To disguise real disease and real pain as addiction and present this false narrative in the media will eventually be known by all. The manifestations of such deliberate intentions will be known. We are going backwards as science has created the ability to allow for a quality of life but its too burdensome on our economy so now the healthcare dilema created here is we have medically advanced ourself right out of our economic ability to sustain our population and the ability to live a long life with a quality of life. Now, “sorry we have to take away your right for pain relief and the life you had” But your new choice suffer or take your life.
I would have no quality of life with out these pain meds. I had the 360 lumbar surgery and now the disk below and above are broke. I would rather now have another surgery and with all the scar tissue from many other surgery I would hurt beyond belief . I have a bad neck problem and surgery is not an option for me. A torn rotator cuff and the list goes on. I have had a terrible experience with my last surgery .The people that are truly hurt should not be punished for the actions of stupid people that use them for there pleasure. Or to kill themselves. Just my opion.
Thank you Steve. Your information is so helpful! We have to let Oregon know this is unacceptable. Write to the Governor, HERC, anyone connected to CMS, Medicare, Medicaid. This is just the beginning of an attempt to take these draconian rules Nationwide. They’re attempting to classify people in pain as over users, with NARXCARE, deny pain meds place them in rehab, on Suboxone or equivalent. I’m fearful of the future for anyone in pain. I’m seeing patients given nothing for pain after surgical procedures. Cleveland Clinic is advertising hip, knee replacement no pain meds, masectomies, etc. Where are we?
Thank you for your broad knowledge! Recently you posted article on Pallative care. Within there’s a mention of changes to MDC benefits for people electing to go Pallative. Can you explain changes? Thank you
There are different parts of OHP coverage; one insurance ‘group’ cut off all opioids for all patients a couple of years ago…thank god I had a coupla years grace, but I’m betting the claim that “the evidence review committee will gather public opinion before any decision is made” is pure BS; they’ve already made their decision. I’ve corresponded with people at the Oregon dept of health & such groups, & they all insist that unlike every other place in the country, in Oregon it really is all prescription pain med’s fault.
This is the same state that cut off sudafed a few years ago (except for prescription only, & then only 20 pills a month) to “fix” the meth “epidemic.” Wanna guess how fixed the meth problem is here? Took the meth distribution system maybe 3 months to convert from local labs to importing all they need, & the meth problem is bigger than ever.
They just talk about the “opioid epidemic” all the time now to avoid having to admit that their last “fix” was useless & that this “fix” will do nothing but sentence thousands of innocent, law-abiding citizens to ongoing agony & death.
According to the link below. OHA stopped covering opiates for spine and back Jan.1, 2018. I assume the new proposal is for other chronic pain conditions and possibly acute pain. No way of knowing without reading the actual proposal.
https://www.oregon.gov/oha/HSD/OHP/Announcements/Changes%20to%20opioid%20coverage%20criteria%2C%20effective%20August%2021%2C%202017.pdf
All pain no exceptions. Once they do this, Medicare, will be next then the rest. They’re dividing us to think it won’t happen to “us”. It’s already difficult to find Pain Management, then one runs the gauntlet of pharmacist and ins. One pain management physician said “The Government is not allowing us to practice medicine. This will soon occur Nationwide”
Hope; yeah, they banned opioids for back pain, & even before that there was a portion of the state po’ folks’ insurance that banned pain meds for chronic pain (I don’t understand how the insurance structure works here at all, just know that a woman in a support group I went to was insured under this one “company” & all their patients’ pain meds got axed. She was desperate; she worked to support her 2 kids (husband dead) & knew she wouldn’t be able to work without the pain meds. God knows what happened to her.
This go-round I think is for the rest of the po’ folk; all chronic pain conditions & fibromyalgia (they recommend exercise for that). I think they really are trying to weed us out.