In his op-ed on March 15 (“Gov. LePage tackles opioid over-prescribing with strong legislation”), Dr. Christopher Pezullo blames overprescribing of opiates as the cause behind the heroin epidemic. And yet he admits that opioid prescriptions have seen a “drastic… decline” since 2012 changes in MaineCare. How can this be? If overprescription is the cause but there has been a drastic decline in prescriptions over the last three years, why is the epidemic getting worse?

The answer is simple. He is wrong about the cause. The cause of the current epidemic is drastic cutbacks in MaineCare coverage for the people who have Opiate Use Disorder. There have been new limits on coverage for the basic medications to treat this disorder, methadone and suboxone. Payments to providers have been reduced to the point that some programs have closed, such as the one run by Mercy Hospital. There have been drastic reductions in the number of people covered by MaineCare and an unwillingness to accept new federal money to extend benefits.

I for one am sick and tired of this cynical and wrong-headed exploitation of people’s suffering to create a false solution that will only make it more difficult for people in pain to get adequate treatment.

The politicians just can’t seem to get it right. All of their “solutions” only make the problem worse. Because they are unwilling to look at what will really work: treating substance use problems as a disease that needs adequate medical care generously and compassionately offered to those who suffer from a biogenetic disorder much like diabetes or hypertension.

David Doreau

Waterville

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