The Opium for the Poor Is Opium. Medicare Providers in States with Low Income Prescribe High Levels of Opiates

Abstract: The majority of Medicare opioid prescriptions originate with family practice and internal medicine providers. I show that the average number of Medicare opium prescriptions by these providers vary strongly by state and that 54% of the variance is accounted for by the state median household income. I also show that there is a very similar relationship in opioid claims per capita and per Medicare recipient. In all cases Alabama is the state with the most claims and Hawaii is the state with the least claims.