How increasing medical access to opioids contributes to the opioid epidemic: Evidence from Medicare Part D

David Powell, Rosalie Pacula and Erin Taylor

Journal of Health Economics, 2020, vol. 71, issue C

Abstract: Drug overdoses involving opioid analgesics have increased dramatically since 1999, representing one of the United States’ top public health crises. Opioids have legitimate medical functions, but they are often diverted, suggesting a tradeoff between improving medical access and nonmedical abuse. We provide causal estimates of the relationship between the medical opioid supply and drug overdoses using Medicare Part D as a differential shock to the geographic distribution of opioids. Our estimates imply that a 10% increase in opioid medical supply leads to a 7.1% increase in opioid-related deaths among the Medicare-ineligible population, suggesting substantial diversion from medical markets.

Keywords: Opioid crisis; Diversion; opioid supply (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I11 I12 I13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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Related works:
Working Paper: How Increasing Medical Access to Opioids Contributes to the Opioid Epidemic Evidence from Medicare Part D (2016)
Working Paper: How Increasing Medical Access to Opioids Contributes to the Opioid Epidemic: Evidence from Medicare Part D (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:71:y:2020:i:c:s0167629619303029

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2019.102286

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