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Treatment for opioid addiction can be expensive and difficult to coordinate. That might make some people tempted to think they can overcome the addiction on their own. This rarely works.
Report by CDC researchers finds a steady fall in opioid use in recent years, but the rates are still three times higher than in 1999.
A study finds that nearly 19 percent of people with mental illnesses use prescription drugs, while only 5 percent of other people do.
A bill pending in the state legislature could make the Golden State the first in the U.S. to open establishments where intravenous drug users can shoot up under medical supervision. Proponents say that would save lives.
The North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition has advanced a local shift from a tough-on-drugs approach to harm-reduction philosophy. Other red states signal they may follow suit.
In Pennsylvania alone, 124,000 people received drug or alcohol addiction treatment through Medicaid. Republicans in Congress want to cut Medicaid by as much as $800 billion over the next decade, leaving people in recovery wondering what will happen to their treatment.
The study also found that the largest percentage of medical coverage claims related to opioid abuse and dependence nationally come from older patients — those ages 51 to 60.
A grass-roots effort to corral Montana's meth crisis hinges on the idea that people who are successful in conquering addiction are uniquely qualified to coach others.
Even the most exalted among us realize health care policy is complicated. Here's a pop quiz to see what you have learned as a regular reader of Kaiser Health News.
People often turn to public restrooms as a place to get high on opioids. It has led some establishments to close their facilities, while others are training employees to help people who overdose.
Kicking addiction can be expensive and patients often relapse. A new company offers clients a different route to getting clean — without leaving home.
Doctors are beginning to pay attention to injuries, such as brain damage or kidney failure, that can afflict people who survive an overdose.
Lawmakers in California, like their counterparts in Congress, are considering a tax that would pay for addiction prevention and treatment efforts.
Unlike heroin, fentanyl routinely shuts down breathing in seconds, and it's becoming more common.
The opioid addiction crisis has led to a crackdown on prescriptions for chronic pain patients, who are increasingly given less addictive painkillers along with referrals for acupuncture, physical therapy, massage and even yoga.
Dentistry is at a crossroads and many in the field are reassessing their narcotics prescribing habits.
Aetna will be the third major insurer to remove prior authorization requirements for patients who seek medication-assisted treatments such as Suboxone.
The woman set to run the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services told senators last week that maternity coverage should be optional in individual and small group plans. But other services could also be left on the cutting room floor.
In an interview with Kaiser Health News, Michael Botticelli outlines his concerns about how GOP efforts to dismantle the health law’s coverage expansions could jeopardize treatment for people in need.
An expert geriatrician says the benefits for the patient, such as alleviating pain and maintaining independence, must be weighed against the possible risks. Her motto: ‘start low and go slow.’
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