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Starting this fall, the government’s employee health plan will tighten its rules for covering opioid prescriptions. The Federal Employee Health Benefits Program is the world’s largest job-based health plan, covering an estimated 9 million people, including workers, retirees and family members. Patients dealing with intractable pain from diseases such as cancer will still be able to get opioids, but the new policy is geared to preventing over-prescribing to people who might just need the drugs for a short period of time. Under the new policy, the initial prescription will be for a seven-day supply, instead of up to 30 days. Patients will be able get up to three refills of seven days each. Formal re-authorization that involves consulting a clinical professional will be required every 28 days.
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On July 15, State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG, issued a standing order effective Aug. 1, allowing Hoosiers to purchase tobacco cessation products without having to obtain a prescription at Indiana pharmacies. This makes Indiana the 12th state to make these products obtainable without a prescription. Indiana ranks in the top 10 of states with the highest smoking rates. About 22 percent of Indiana residents and 13 percent of expectant mothers smoke. Dr. Jennifer Walthall, M.D., MPH, secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, also announced Indiana Medicaid will remove co-payments for tobaccos cessation products for pregnant women or members up to one year postpartum. The press release can be accessed here.
On July 30, Duke Energy Foundation announced $250,000 in grants to tackle the opioid epidemic. The grants will focus on an 11-county region of Vigo, Clay, Gibson, Greene, Hendricks, Knox, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan and Vermillion counties. Ivy Tech Community College will receive $175,000 to educate and prepare specialists in addiction and mental health. Hamilton Center, Inc. will receive $75,000 for a pilot program to help those with opioid use disorder and unemployed or want to continue working while seeking treatment.
 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a report that highlights encouraging news on the opioid addiction front. The United States saw its first decline in overdose deaths in nearly three decades, with a 5.1-percent decrease in overdose deaths in 2018. Federal, state and local efforts to curb opioid addiction, most of which has emphasized treatment and availability of naloxone, are producing the intended results. The CDC states that nearly 60 percent of the decline can be attributed to more cautious prescribing practices and a decrease in prescriptions written. While this is encouraging, officials warn of a new threat on the horizon – fentanyl.
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