Impact of overdose on health plan disenrollment among patients prescribed long-term opioids: Retrospective cohort study

Abstract

ContextHealth plan disenrollment may disrupt chronic or preventive care for patients prescribed long-term opioid therapy (LTOT). PurposeTo assess whether overdose events in patients prescribed LTOT are associated with subsequent health plan disenrollment. DesignRetrospective cohort study. Setting and datasetData from the Optum Labs Data Warehouse which includes de-identified medical and pharmacy claims and enrollment records for commercial and Medicare Advantage enrollees. The database contains longitudinal health information on patients, representing a mixture of ages and geographical regions across the United States. PatientsAdults prescribed stable opioid therapy (≥10 morphine milligram equivalents/day) for a 6-month baseline period prior to an index opioid prescription from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. Main measuresHealth plan disenrollment during follow-up. ResultsThe cohort comprised 404,151 patients who were followed up after 800,250 baseline periods of stable opioid dosing. During a mean follow-up of 9.1 months, unadjusted disenrollment rates among primary commercial beneficiaries and Medicare Advantage enrollees were 37.2 and 13.9 per 100 person-years, respectively. Incident overdoses were associated with subsequent health plan disenrollment with a statistically significantly stronger association among primary commercial insurance beneficiaries [adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) 1.48 (95% CI: 1.33–1.64)] as compared to Medicare Advantage enrollees [aIRR 1.15 (95% CI: 1.07–1.23)]. ConclusionsAmong patients prescribed long-term opioids, overdose events were strongly associated with subsequent health plan disenrollment, especially among primary commercial insurance beneficiaries. These findings raise concerns about the social consequences of overdose, including potential health insurance loss, which may limit patient access to care at a time of heightened vulnerability.