The Great Recession is here and does not seem to be letting go of the American economy. More workers are unemployed than ever before. For those who are over 50, the chance of finding new, equivalent employment is slim to none. New statistics are showing that unprecedented numbers of these unemployed seniors are turning to drugs to cope with the stress. While some Medicare parts offer coverage for treatment, this leaves out a big portion of over-50 Americans who have not reached the eligibility age of 65. Additionally, the addiction problem is compounded by the easy availability of prescription drugs through insurance programs.

Senior Drug Addiction Getting Worse

In a report recently released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, a quarter-million Americans over the age of 50 are being actively treated for a drug addiction of some sort. Not only has this number more than doubled in the past 18 years, many of these cases go undocumented and untreated. The true rate of over 50 drug addiction is estimated at closer to a half-million seniors and pre-retired age Americans.

This drug problem stems from the lax pain treatment programs and the increasing availability of pain medication. While prescription drugs are only a part of the problem, records associated with illegal drugs are a little more difficult to come by.

Breaking Free from Addiction

Unfortunately, these addictions won’t just disappear when the economy turns around. Instead, those suffering with drug addictions will be even less likely to find work than before. Facing budget cuts, lawmakers and enforcers don’t have the ability to control the problem.By implementing a few simple controls, access to addicting drugs will diminish and these over 50 addicts will have a chance to recover their lives.

• Control the distribution of pain clinic prescriptions

• Monitor patients who are prescribed pain medications

• Regulate doctor prescribed pain medications

• Offer more free addiction treatment programs

Drug addicts over 50 don’t have to work all that hard to satisfy their addiction. Many doctors assume that those over 50 are responsible adults who are truly experiencing pain. As a result, addictions in the over 50 crowd are literally at an all time high.

photo credit: Kazarelth

After years of undercover surveillance and Medicare claim investigations, officials in five major U.S. cities resulted in the indictment of 94 individuals and a total of $251 million in fraudulent Medicare payments. The cities involved in the largest Medicare fraud takedown in U.S. history included New York City, Houston, Detroit, Miami, and Baton Rouge. Miami alone caught a whopping 33 of the 94 scammers.

What Is America Doing to Fight Medicare Fraud?

Once the government realized that between $60 and $90 billion dollars are stolen through the Medicare system each year, several measures were put into place.

The most powerful of these measures is part of the Affordable Care Act. Through this act, Medicare can stop payments with even the mere suspicion of fraudulent claims by a provider.

In Miami, forcing medical care providers recertify their practices resulted in a drop of $1.6 billion in claims, more than half of the annual $3 billion taken through fraud.

With more government money to fight fraud, Medicare can deal with fraudulent claims in a more realistic time frame. Previously, bills were paid and then investigate. Now, claims can be investigated quickly and then paid. This results in a drop in unnecessary billing, patient bribery, and the viral nature of Medicare fraud.

Is the Fraud Crackdown Working?

New health care reform and stronger support from city law enforcement allows the areas most affected by Medicare fraud to track, arrest, and indict those responsible for fraudulent behavior. Those guilty of fraud include teens, the elderly, immigrants, nurses, doctors, and medical billing specialists. Hundreds were arrested in the past two years and new indictments are made almost daily.

While the recent crackdown on Medicare fraud is just the beginning, major progress has been made in the effort to reduce and eventually eliminate the high rates of Medicare fraud in the United States.

Pfizer’s cancer drug,  Mylotarg, is no longer available after being on the U.S. market for the past 10 years. If you have a prescription drug plan, then now is the time to start looking into your health insurance carrier’s “formulary,” which is the list that includes drugs that are covered. You will need to consult with your doctor to find an appropriate alternative that is covered through your health plan.

Pfizer decided to remove the drug from the market because studies failed to prove that it has any effectiveness. Additionally, there were reported deaths from liver and lung complications linked to its use.

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How many prescription medications are you taking? How many over-the-counter herbal medications or other nutritional supplements? The alarming results of a new study on the combinations of medications taken by American seniors indicate that it’s best to be cautious about taking certain prescription and over-the-counter medications in tandem.

According to the report—which reviewed the medications taken by 3,000 men and women aged between 57 and 85—at least two million older Americans might be taking a potentially dangerous combination of prescription or over-the-counter medications. And up to one in ten older men might be taking a combination of drugs which could be potentially harmful.

Another factor affecting seniors is the fact that older people tend to take more medications overall, including both prescription and over-the-counter preparations. In the 57 to 85 age group, 91% of people take at least one medication, and more than half use five or more medications, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

The consequences of drug combinations aren’t always dangerous, but for older people, the side effects and interactions of drugs and over-the-counter medications are often more hazardous, due to the way metabolism changes as we age.

An example of a potentially serious drug interaction is that between warfarin, which is used to dissolve blood clots, and aspirin, which has a similar blood-thinning effect. The risk of internal bleeding can become dangerously high when both drugs are taken together. The combination of warfarin and garlic can also have a similar effect.

Other potentially dangerous combinations include:

• Aspirin and gingko biloba, taken together, can increase the risk of excessive bleeding.
• Taking Lisinopril (prescribed for blood pressure), along with potassium supplements (which may be prescribed because some blood pressure drugs reduce potassium levels), can cause abnormal heart rhythms.
• Over-the-counter niacin supplements can be dangerous when taken with statins (prescribed for managing cholesterol levels), due to an increased potential for muscle damage.

Experts say it’s best to be cautious when it comes to over-the-counter medications – don’t take them without the ok from your doctor, and make sure you ask about side effects and drug interactions every time your doctor prescribes a new medication.

photo credit: Nils Geylen