Among employees whose employers began offering high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) in 2007 through 2017, an analysis of deidentified claims during 97,788 person-years showed no increase in the probability of nonfatal opioid overdose among beneficiaries with opioid use disorder (OUD). “However, given the strong evidence that medications for OUD (MOUD) can reduce the risk of overdose, research should explore which facets of insurance design may impact MOUD use,” the authors conclude.
“Across both comparison and treatment groups, 2% of the sample experienced a nonfatal opioid overdose during the study period,” the authors report. “Our primary model and robustness checks revealed no impact of HDHP offer on the probability of a nonfatal overdose.”