Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania) and Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) commissioned a study regarding the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The study focused on determining how to improve the agency’s process of overprescribing of opioid drugs.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted the study. Senators Toomey and Kain believe that the overprescribing of opioid drugs to Medicare beneficiaries contributes to the national epidemic.
According to the senators, the GAO study showed that over 700,000 Medicare beneficiaries received high doses of opioids last year. These senior citizens are at risk of opioids addiction due to significant operational gaps within the federal health insurance program.
Highlights of the GAO report on CMS Opioid Misuse Strategy
In the report, GAO noted that CMS started to collect information on some beneficiaries using higher doses of opioids. The federal health insurance program’s Opioid Misuse Strategy includes reducing the risk of harm from opioid abuse. However, its approach misses some of them who could be at risk of harm, according
