A.G. Schneiderman is urging health insurance companies to look carefully at financial incentives in their payment and coverage policies that contribute to the opioid crisis.
"Insurers must take a hard look at the systemic problems in our healthcare system that result in the over-prescription of opioids and fuel the cycle of addiction." said the Attorney General.
The number of opioid prescriptions have quadrupled since 1999, despite Americans reporting a steady amount of pain.
Supporters say incentives that promote the use of non-opioid treatments will increase the use such techniques, including physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, chiropractic care, and non-opioid medications.
In 2010, A.G. Schneiderman has launched the program "I-STOP" (Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing).
I-STOP has reduced "doctor shopping", where a person tries to get the same or similar prescription from multiple physicians. It's down by 90 percent since 2014.
