Few Americans Are Getting the Addiction Treatment Medicine They Need [PSMag.com]
For those looking to overcome an addiction to prescription painkillers or heroin , buprenorphine presents a relatively safe and proven option. Yet it’s rarely used: A new study estimates that, among Americans who used Medicare to pay for their prescriptions in 2013, about 80,000 had a script for buprenorphine, commonly known as Suboxone (one of the brand names). Meanwhile, the study’s authors estimate about 300,000 Medicare beneficiaries suffered from an opioid use disorder in 2013.