Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Spring 4-17-2019
Abstract
The misuse of opioids is a serious public health crisis. This paper will explore how over-prescription has contributed to the crisis and why alternative treatment options are not being more widely explored. The United States healthcare system has become increasingly business-like in accordance with Karl Marx’s view of capitalism and its voracious appetite for profit. The prescription of opioids allows pharmaceutical companies to profit. Convinced by economically driven pharmaceutical companies that patients would not become addicted to prescription opioid pain relievers, healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates. Despite the claims of pharmaceutical companies, these drugs proved to be highly addictive. Still, many physicians are quick to prescribe opioids for chronic pain because they receive payments from drug manufacturing companies. As such, over prescribing opioids for chronic pain has become a key driver of America’s epidemic. Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are one of the most common sources of chronic pain and can cause significant quality of life issues. Although not as common as drugs, there are many non-pharmaceutical treatments for SCIs. One study found that people with SCI-related pain were more willing to use non- pharmacological treatments than opioid medications. If it is not the willingness of patients, then what are the major barriers to alternative therapies for SCIs? The answer often lies in the nuances of insurance company policies. Many companies restrict their coverage to allopathic medical techniques. Even treatments that are covered, such as physical therapy, are subject to prohibitively high deductibles and visit limits per year. Although several laws have been passed by the NYS Department of Health to address the epidemic, to reach a true solution we must recognize that healthcare is much more than a money-making business, and subsequently pass policies that make alternative treatments less prohibitive.
Recommended Citation
Toy, Emily, "The Over Prescription of Opioids and Barriers to Alternative Treatment Options for Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries" (2019). Papers, Posters, and Recordings. 13.
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/great-day-works/13