I participated in a webinar last week hosted by the Health Action Alliance, and sponsored by Shatterproof, a nonprofit organization dedicated to decreasing the stigma associated with mental health and substance abuse treatment.
Important points from my panel:
- Opioid use disorder is common, affecting about 2% of the population. Eleven percent of the population has alcohol use disorder. These figures are from a survey performed in 2021 by the federal agency SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
- Substance abuse costs employers more than $35 billion annually in medical costs alone, and likely much more in lost productivity loss, accidents and turnover.
- Employers can create a culture where employees feel safe seeking help for themselves or their families and feel confident that they have access to the resources they need to address substance use disorder.
- Those in recovery can be excellent employees, combining gratitude for an opportunity to get their life back on track with drive, dedication to the job, and loyalty.
Implications for employers:
- Health insurance plan design should include comprehensive coverage for substance use care including
- Medication assisted treatment (MAT)
- Evidence-based outpatient behavioral therapy
- Plans should not include prior authorization requirements, step therapy or arbitrary limits
- An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can help members navigate to providers for further care, and help employees determine how best to help family members in trouble.
- Demand that carriers provide adequate network access to addiction specialists and psychiatrists and Master’s level certified alcohol and drug addiction counselors (CADAC)
- Train managers to decrease stigma and refer to and support addiction treatment
- Consider programs like Shatterproof to educate employees and destigmatize addiction, and assure employees that treatment they or family members obtain for substance use is strictly private.
- Put naloxone (Narcan) in worksite first aid kits to treat employees or visitors who have a narcotic overdose at the workplace
You can see a video of this webinar at the Health Action Alliance website (It will be posted later this week)
Tomorrow: FDA to require simple patient drug labeling
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