Non-opioid pain relief can save lives in Florida

For years, I have been working tirelessly with leaders across the state to find solutions to the opioid epidemic and overturning the growth trends of opioid use disorders, but opioid overdose continues to take the lives of our loved ones. In 2023, more than 80,000 people died from opioid overdose in the United States.

We must act now to reverse this trend and help our communities overcome this growing crisis. Thankfully, Medical Innovation currently offers prevention-focused solutions, but our healthcare system must be given guidance to make these alternatives accessible to all Floridians.

The financial sacrifices of this crisis are enormous. Florida taxpayers will bear the $3,262 per person burden of dealing with opioid disorders and overdose. This is 4% higher than the national average. Behind these incredible numbers are real Floridians trapped in a system in 2018 where health care providers wrote 53.7 opioid prescriptions for every 100 residents.

Reducing addiction on opioids for pain management can prevent addiction before it begins. Many different companies are developing non-opioid, non-additive painkillers that help relieve patients without the risk of developing opioid addiction. Last month marked a breakthrough when the Federal Drug Administration approved non-opioid painkillers. This is the first time in 20 years.

But development is only half the battle. Adoption is a real turning point. The proposals in both Tallahassee and Washington will transform how government-run health systems Medicaid and Medicare handle non-opioid treatments. Both legislative bodies need to eliminate the cost gap between opioid and non-opioid options. When safer pain management costs more, financial constraints force vulnerable patients to force addictive medications.

The impact of passing these proposals is profound for 5 million Medicaid enrollees in Florida (working families, children, pregnant women, people with disabilities). Equal coverage can be prevented before initiating countless cases of opioid dependence.

The Florida Legislature recently introduced House Bill 1093 and Senate Bill 1194. In Washington, Congress reintroduced alternatives to prevent addiction to national law. It provides millions of Medicare beneficiaries in Florida, primarily elderly people who deal with pain, and provides equal access to non-member options. Both Medicaid and Medicare structures encourage opioid prescriptions through lower copay and reduced administrative hurdles, creating unnecessary dependency risks, but this law will bring much-needed change and help prevent opioid dependence.

These solutions eliminate three important barriers patients face when trying to access non-opioid pain control medications: differences in prohibited out-of-pocket costs, excessive prior permission requirements, and an essential “first” protocol that forces patients to try opioids before safer replacements. Addressing these systematic issues allows Florida to establish a preventive model in other countries.

The economic cases to combat the opioid epidemic are persuasive. Considering that states each year lose out every year, where states cover poor health care, treatment, criminal justice, lower productivity and poor quality of life. By preventing new addiction cases, Florida reforms will fulfill our responsibility to public health while providing practical solutions to reduce health costs.

We stand at key moments with a lot of momentum and hope for a future. Demonstrate your commitment to evidence-based solutions. But elected officials in both Tallahassee and Washington need to advocate for reforms in pain treatment to ensure that all Floridians receive equal protection from unnecessary addiction risk.

Ernie Bach is the executive director of the Silver Hair Congress in Florida.