Opinion: The opioid crisis is partly fueled by insurers’ and employers’ approach to back pain
We won't stop the opioid crisis unless we understand the connections between insurance carriers, health plans, employers, and the treatment of pain — and change them.
At some point in their lives, 80 percent of adults will experience lower back pain. It’s the second most common reason that adults see a doctor and the most common reason for disability. It’s also a microcosm of all the things that are wrong with the U.S. health care system, including its contribution to the opioid crisis.
Having experienced lower back pain myself, I know that it can be truly debilitating. I would have done almost anything to rid myself of it. Lower back pain puts people in desperate and vulnerable
