Prescription Opioid Prescribing in Western Europe and the United States.

Pain is universal, yet the prevalence of overdose and treatment of pain varies significantly between the United States (US) and Western Europe. Overdose deaths are seven times more common in the US compared to Western Europe. Cultural perceptions of pain, perception and treatment of opioid use disorder, pharmaceutical advertising, and rates and regulation of prescribing of opioids represent examples of factors that may be related to such differences between the US and Western Europe. As Rhode Island continues to battle the devastating and well-documented national opioid overdose epidemic, we should consider how cultural, regulatory differences, and economic factors may influence pain and its treatment.

Statewide Assessment of Cost-Related Healthcare Access Barriers in Rhode Island.

Although co-payments and deductibles are means of keeping health expenditures low, they have also been cited as barriers that inhibit patients from accessing necessary healthcare. We aimed to evaluate Rhode Island residents' experiences with cost-related access challenges within the state's healthcare system. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of resident experiences with healthcare in Rhode Island. Our survey instrument was composed of the RAND Corporation "Short-Form Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-18)", questions developed by the Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner, and ranking of health priorities based on prior community assessments conducted by the Rhode Island Department of Health. Data were collected at venues across the state as part of the Rhode Island Department of Health 2015 Statewide Health Inventory. From July to August 2015, 404 surveys were completed. We found that 40% of respondents had a co-pay of $20-$50, while 35.7% of respondents had a deductible of greater than $500. Further, one-third of respondents delayed receiving care due to financial barriers. This decision resulted in a worsening condition or hospital visit for nearly half of those respondents. Co-pays and deductibles pose challenges to Rhode Islanders accessing health care. Cost-related barriers to healthcare access should continue to be addressed, especially in the context of preventive care services, which are now being built into health insurance premiums through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. [Full article available at http://rimed.org/rimedicaljournal-2016-11.asp].