Insurers Contribute to the Opioid Epidemic

Guest: Leo Beletsky, JD, Associate Professor of Law and Health Sciences, Northeastern University  Drug companies, doctors and even patients themselves have all been assigned some responsibility in the nation’s opioid epidemic. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 50. More than two million Americans are estimated to be misusing addictive prescription painkillers.  A New York Times/ProPublica investigation found insurance companies are to blame, too. At times, they push people toward addictive opioid medicines that are cheaper than pain treatment that’s less addictive.