CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) – Attorneys general representing the majority of states asked health insurers Monday to encourage pain treatment through means other than prescriptions for opioid painkillers, which are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths a year in the U.S.
The top government lawyers in 35 states signed a letter to the trade group America’s Health Insurance Plans. The group, which also includes attorneys general for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, asked insurers to make coverage of non-opioid treatments such as physical therapy and massage a priority.
“The status quo, in which there may be financial incentives to prescribe opioids for pain which they are ill-suited to treat, is unacceptable,” the attorneys general wrote.
The letter targets prescribing powerful drugs for chronic pain, a practice several studies have found is not effective.
The insurers group did not immediately respond to requests for comment.