Medical Marijuana Lowers Medicare Prescription Drug Costs
Wednesday, 03 August 2016
Here's a surprise – look at this headline from NPR:
After Medical Marijuana Legalized, Medicare Prescriptions Drop For Many Drugs
The story is based on a study published in July at Health Affairs. As the abstract of that research notes:
”Using data on all prescriptions filled by Medicare Part D enrollees from 2010 to 2013, we found that the use of prescription drugs for which marijuana could serve as a clinical alternative fell significantly, once a medical marijuana law was implemented.”
The NPR story, which was originally published at Kaiser Health News, goes on to explain why cannabis can be a better option than some other prescription painkillers:
”Marijuana is unlike other drugs, such as opioids, overdoses of which can be fatal, said Deepak D'Souza, a professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, who has researched marijuana.
"'That doesn't happen with marijuana, he added. 'But there are whole other side effects and safety issues we need to be aware of.'”
As a lifelong pot smoker, I am not concerned much with side effects which are so much milder and less dangerous than, for example, alcohol.
Meanwhile, recreational marijuana use is legal in four states (Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington) and the District of Columbia. Just last Friday, the governor of Illinois signed legislation decriminalizing minor cannabis offenses. And in November, at least nine states will vote on some form of legalization.
Of course whatever is decided in individual states, marijuana is still illegal on the federal level because, the government maintains, it has a high potential for abuse, no medical use, and severe safety concerns – all of which, I believe, are woefully out of date, unsubstantiated opinions.
The research published in Health Affairs notes that the
”...national overall reductions in Medicare program and enrollee spending when states implemented medical marijuana laws were estimated to be $165.2 million per year in 2013.”
That's not much money and nobody should take the savings in Part D payments seriously because patients are paying for the marijuana out of pocket instead of billing Medicare.
Should the day come that Medicare pays for cannabis treatment, the savings would be reduced or eliminated depending on the price compared to the drugs for which it is substituted.
Nevertheless, cannabis is already big business in the states that have legalized it and I believe that before long, the federal government will remove it from the list of Schedule I drugs for just that reason – money: there are billions of dollars to be made and big corporations want in on that profit.
Here is a video about exactly that from CNN Money:
Now it's your turn. What do you think about legalizing marijuana and having it covered by Medicare Part D?
I'm all for legalization and Medicare coverage. At some point interested entities (follow the $$) will want regulation and oversight to allow and protect their interests, meaning $$. I believe in CA, however, the November ballot includes allowing people to grow up to 3 plants, and that's impossible to regulate.
This is like a golden egg medicine for many seniors, absolutely helpful for anxiety, seizures, depression and so many other ills. The difference among states is whether they legalize it medically or recreationally. Whichever, marijuana resistance will sooner-than-later fold and pack up.
I think the pharmaceutical industry is plotting and planning their involvement. This will be a major agricultural, medical crop, and it will be interesting to see which department will provide oversight. Maybe none. After all, it is a weed.
Posted by: Simone | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 06:37 AM
Yes, definitely.
Posted by: Jen Mullen | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 07:55 AM
I am for Medicare covering it, but not via the umbrella of pharmaceuticals. Period. We know their motivation to not be in our best interests.
Posted by: Norma Hall | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 08:01 AM
I would guess that Monsanto, or Syngenta, or Bayer has been working on their own strain of seed to patent when it becomes legal at the federal level. At which point , they will put the smaller local or state growers out of business, making growing "weed" effectively illegal again.
Posted by: Jackie | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 08:08 AM
Have supported and worked for the legalization of pot since the early 1960s. I personally don't use it as it just puts me to sleep, which I have no problem doing anyway.
From personal experience of what alcohol did to some of my friends and family, I have had a deep-seated hatred of alcohol most of my life!
Plus, I have a friend who could not survive her combination of diseases such as IBS and other serious and painful problems! She had never previously used pot ... just terribly strong opioids and way too many over-the-counter drugs. Fortunately we live in sunny Southern California, and legal marijuana is easily come by.
It's people like her that desperately need the US Government to wake up and catch up and come into the 21st Century and stop this madness!
By the way, Ronni, did you ever hear all the rumors in the 1960s that were going around in the advertising business that all of the major tobacco companies had taken out patents/copy rights on quite a few names for marijuana cigarettes in anticipation of the legalization of pot? It was big news for years that circulated in our Mad Ad communities on the East Coast.
Posted by: Miki Davis | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 08:28 AM
I never could figure out in the first place, why a botanical plant could become verboten.
Posted by: sflichen | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 08:46 AM
I'm all for legalizing it and Medicare paying for it (or even if they won't pay for it). But getting from Point A to Point B will be tricky. Someone will insist on FDA oversight (I'd want that). And Big Pharma will jump in with both feet to reap as huge a profit as possible (the one advantage possibly being the development of different methods of delivery -- pills, liquids, IV, etc. for those of us who don't smoke). But I'd like to see more research, too. I heard it could help glaucoma, which I have, so I did a little reading and found that yes, it can help glaucoma -- if you smoke it almost non-stop all day. Certainly pain relief would be a huge benefit to many if proper dosages and methods of administration can be established. We need every possible type of legitimate pain relief available for those who are suffering. Yes, that sounds like a lot of third-party interference, but if it's going to be widely used as a legitimate drug then it should be treated like one.
Posted by: PiedType | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 09:00 AM
I believe a drug is a drug, is a drug. There is a difference between recreational use and medicinal use, and if it's for health reasons then it should be prescribed by a doctor and sold in a drug store like any other mind-altering drug, not in head shops - or whatever they're called these days.
What other "medicine" has its own special dispensary with a hundred different varieties to care of all your ills? Why not a separate store for, say, Valium, Percodan, or even aspirin where you can get them in a variety of colors and sizes?....just show your "medical card" to show that it's all legal. Do we really have That many people in ill health that requires this special " medicine"? Who's kidding whom?!
Of course the pharmaceutical companies would like to be producing it...they'd like the big bucks as much as your local entrepreneur...it's a big money-making industry. Marijuana does have a down side.."the drug of indolence" as one doctor I know called it - but that's just one affect and I have nothing against it's use within reason and I know it does have medicinal value, just know that it can be abused just as much as any other drug. And yes, I've seen side effects of it's overuse. I'm sure we'll eventually see the legalization of it...it will be interesting to see what will happen then.
Posted by: Lola | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 09:21 AM
I was rather surprised that our governor here in Illinois was supportive of changing the law, but our jails and prisons were running out of space, the legal system clogged and the lives of many young people, especially, being ruined by convictions, fines, and stigma, so I'm hoping this will lead relieve much of that. However, I do believe that there is a neurological downside of marjuana use for those who begin using it in their youth, which an awful lot of children seem to be doing these days. And while I would not vote against its legalization, I do have a fear that, unless there are enormous changes to our economic system, it will come at an eventual great cost to our society. Maybe if we can afford to stay high all the time, we won't care so that will not matter.
With a market at a 31% annual compounded growth rate, it's probably inevitable that it will become nationally legalized sooner rather than later. I'm not sure what to think about Medicare Part D paying for it. I'd have to know a lot more about what that might mean.
Posted by: Cathy Johnson | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 09:41 AM
Hogwash for the anxiety, I have clinical generalized anxiety and migraines. I tried it for migraine and not only did it do zero for the pain but it acted like a super stimulant, like drinking 5 espresso coffees in a row. I did some research and found that I wasn't alone in that experience. Only 2% of the population suffers from true anxiety and it does indeed work the opposite on many of us. I also do not find alcohol in the least relaxing, never mind that it will trigger a migraine as well. So I wish they would stop pushing marijuana as some super-drug that cures all. I would rather live in 1900 and have access to opium tincture and laudanum. I'm used to everybody and their brother claiming their twinges are migraines and the same thing is true with anxiety. Scott Stossel of the Atlantic has true anxiety and it's nothing at all comparable to what people claim to have.
Posted by: Vera | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 09:44 AM
I just deleted my entire comment. Sigh!
I have argued for the legalization of marijuana for so many years that I am weary of trying to convince people of the logic of doing so. I get irrational arguments like
a) Teenagers can get it easily (as if they don't already know where to buy it illegally)
b) It's a gateway drug leading to harder drugs like Heroin.
Both arguments have been proven to be false.
Because I have never used "pot" I cannot speak to the benefits, but I will point out to Vera that her experience is true of many medications. For example, I have tried to use Excedrin PM and Tylenol PM for headaches and sleep. Instead of making me drowsy, I get RLS (restless leg syndrome) making sleep impossible.
It has always been illogical to me that the most destructive drug, alcohol, is legal while a drug that makes the user relaxed and mellow is illegal.
Aside from the medical benefits of legalizing cannabis, think of the money the government could save as well as the money that could be made. We are talking about billions saved in incarcerating the thousands involved in the drug trade, the cost of the courts and the time wasted, not to mention the drug wars and the cost of the police forces involved. It seems insane to me.
If cannabis were legal it could be taxed just as alcohol is and instead of throwing away billions and destroying lives by incarcerating small sellers the government could use the money to treat alcohol addicts, and for other good purposes.
Nonetheless, I predict that as soon as Big Pharma is able to control the supply and sell it at exorbitant cost cannabis will suddenly be legal nationally.
Posted by: Darlene | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 10:46 AM
Like many others, I have been a member of several marijuana legalization organizations. Was part of the ground roots who worked our a$$es off here in Oregon for both medical use, then 10 years later for recreational use. I've been a pot smoker since the 60s..before ADHD was a real issue, I knew that pot could help me control my impulses. When I was diagnosed with ADHD i was put on meds that were very expensive. I quit taking them and just went back to pot.
I held a demanding job for 35 years without any issues..and believe that marijuana can be a real life saver..it sure helps me sleep at night!
I have a reimbursement for medical bills from my former employer..after they quit covering our health insurance coverage they gave us a stipend that we could submit our bills for insurance, office visits and drug expenses to for reimbursement. I submitted the $200.00 I spent to get my medical marijuana card and the, on average, $75-$100.00 a month I spend on weed..They did not reimburse in even though I have a 'note from my doctor' for marijuana.
I guess things change sonly-they have no problem reimbursing the cost of opiates but not marijuana. I don't get it!
Be well folks and enjoy the new environment if you're lucky enough to be in a state with medical or recreational marijuana coverage.
Elle in enlightened Oregon
Posted by: Elle Hayes | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 04:40 PM
Legalize pot! Let all of us grow it. I could throw away my scripts for opioids and sleeping pills if I could access weed. I am currently paying nearly $1000 a month for drugs with terrible side effects plus having to pay for monthly doctor visits at $175.00 a visit as well as being drug-tested randomly every three months which costs another $150.00 -- all because I have an inoperable back injury. I didn't ask for these drugs and yet I am treated as though I am a criminal drug-user at my own doctor's office. Legalizing pot would do away with all that other expense and the lowering of my self-esteem.
I quit driving a car when I was prescribed the oxycontin because I was afraid I might accidentally injure someone else while under the influence. My husband takes me wherever I need to go. I would not drive under the influence of weed.
Posted by: Classof65 | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 05:02 PM
I think it would benefit everyone if Marijuana was legalized for medical use and therefore under a doctor's supervision. I've seen someone tipped over the edge into a severe Bi-Polar episode after smoking pot but it's probably no more dangerous than alcohol which we take for granted yet the effects of that can be devastating for entire families and communities.
It seems hypocritical to me that currently companies can legally make a profit from selling cigarettes and alcohol but not marijuana. Either make them all available only on prescription or sell them all openly, the government would collect their taxes and run their rehab programmes, dealers would be off the streets and who knows, the price might even drop when there is open competition.
Posted by: macmsue | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 06:05 PM
Although I date back to the "Reefer Madness" era, I'm all for legalization of marijuana at the federal level. Recreational MJ is already legal in WA State. However, as soon as Big Pharma gets its greedy hands on it legally, some smug little twerp like Martin Shkreli (of Daraprim fame) will jack up the price by 7,000% so no one will be able to afford it.
Posted by: Elizabeth Rogers | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 07:03 PM
More education is needed --- in a safe environment.
People are more afraid of Marijuana than liquor--- makes no sense.
Who brainwashed us and why?
Posted by: victoria | Thursday, 04 August 2016 at 09:51 AM
I m 66 on fixed income & had osteoporitic compression fracture. Lost 1/2" height which effected position of major organs. I have chronic pain & spasms. Movement causes pain. I would like to try med marijuana but cannot afford it. I live on opiods & hate it. I have no quality of life. I know there is abuse but by God Help those in need 1st PLEASE. Get results sooner!!
Posted by: Linda | Saturday, 08 July 2017 at 01:11 PM