Prescription Drug Coverage for Treatment of Low Back Pain Among US Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and Commercial Insurers.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Despite unprecedented injuries and deaths from prescription opioids, little is known regarding medication coverage policies for the treatment of chronic noncancer pain among US insurers.

Objective

To assess medication coverage policies for 62 products used to treat low back pain.

Design, setting, and participants

A cross-sectional study of health plan documents from 15 Medicaid, 15 Medicare Advantage, and 20 commercial health plans in 2017 from 16 US states representing more than half the US population and 20 interviews with more than 43 senior medical and pharmacy health plan executives from representative plans. Data analysis was conducted from April 2017 to January 2018.

Main outcomes and measures

Formulary coverage, utilization management, and pa

SUBMITTER: Lin DH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6324424 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature