IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/hlthec/v31y2022i8p1649-1675.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How access to addictive drugs affects the supply of substance abuse treatment: Evidence from Medicare Part D

Author

Listed:
  • Matthew T. Knowles

Abstract

This paper documents how substance abuse treatment (SAT) providers and services respond to increases in population‐level opioid addiction. I do this by exploiting the implementation of Medicare Part D as an exogenous increase in the availability of prescription opioids. Starting in 2006, states with higher shares of the population eligible for Medicare Part D experienced increases in residential and hospital inpatient SAT facilities, beds dedicated to SAT, and SAT facilities offering medication‐assisted treatment, relative to states with lower shares. These results suggest that the supply of SAT in the United States is capable of responding significantly to changes in demand.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew T. Knowles, 2022. "How access to addictive drugs affects the supply of substance abuse treatment: Evidence from Medicare Part D," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(8), pages 1649-1675, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:31:y:2022:i:8:p:1649-1675
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.4530
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.4530
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/hec.4530?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mark Duggan & Fiona Scott Morton, 2010. "The Effect of Medicare Part D on Pharmaceutical Prices and Utilization," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(1), pages 590-607, March.
    2. Swensen, Isaac D., 2015. "Substance-abuse treatment and mortality," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 13-30.
    3. Johanna Catherine Maclean & Brendan Saloner, 2019. "The Effect of Public Insurance Expansions on Substance Use Disorder Treatment: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 38(2), pages 366-393, March.
    4. Alpert, Abby & Lakdawalla, Darius & Sood, Neeraj, 2023. "Prescription drug advertising and drug utilization: The role of Medicare Part D," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    5. Abby Alpert & David Powell & Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, 2018. "Supply-Side Drug Policy in the Presence of Substitutes: Evidence from the Introduction of Abuse-Deterrent Opioids," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 10(4), pages 1-35, November.
    6. Hamersma, Sarah & Maclean, Johanna Catherine, 2021. "Do expansions in adolescent access to public insurance affect the decisions of substance use disorder treatment providers?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    7. Powell, David & Pacula, Rosalie Liccardo & Taylor, Erin, 2020. "How increasing medical access to opioids contributes to the opioid epidemic: Evidence from Medicare Part D," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    8. Blume-Kohout, Margaret E. & Sood, Neeraj, 2013. "Market size and innovation: Effects of Medicare Part D on pharmaceutical research and development," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 327-336.
    9. Jonathan D. Ketcham & Kosali Simon, 2008. "Medicare Part D's Effects on Elderly Drug Costs and Utilization," NBER Working Papers 14326, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Sacks, Daniel W. & Hollingsworth, Alex & Nguyen, Thuy & Simon, Kosali, 2021. "Can policy affect initiation of addictive substance use? Evidence from opioid prescribing," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    11. Jones, C.M. & Campopiano, M. & Baldwin, G. & McCance-Katz, E., 2015. "National and state treatment need and capacity for opioid agonist medication-assisted treatment," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(8), pages 55-63.
    12. Alpert, Abby, 2016. "The anticipatory effects of Medicare Part D on drug utilization," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 28-45.
    13. David Dranove & Craig Garthwaite & Manuel Hermosilla, 2014. "Pharmaceutical Profits and the Social Value of Innovation," NBER Working Papers 20212, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Tianyan Hu & Sandra L. Decker & Shin-Yi Chou, 2017. "The impact of health insurance expansion on physician treatment choice: Medicare Part D and physician prescribing," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 333-358, September.
    15. Powell, David & Pacula, Rosalie Liccardo & Jacobson, Mireille, 2018. "Do medical marijuana laws reduce addictions and deaths related to pain killers?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 29-42.
    16. Meinhofer, Angélica & Witman, Allison E., 2018. "The role of health insurance on treatment for opioid use disorders: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 177-197.
    17. Johanna Catherine Maclean & Ioana Popovici & Elisheva R. Stern, 2018. "Health Insurance Expansions and Providers' Behavior: Evidence from Substance-Use- Disorder Treatment Providers," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 61(2), pages 279-310.
    18. David Dranove & Craig Garthwaite & Manuel I. Hermosilla, 2020. "Expected Profits and The Scientific Novelty of Innovation," NBER Working Papers 27093, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    19. Gautam Gowrisankaran & Robert J. Town, 1997. "Dynamic Equilibrium in the Hospital Industry," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(1), pages 45-74, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Powell, David & Pacula, Rosalie Liccardo & Taylor, Erin, 2020. "How increasing medical access to opioids contributes to the opioid epidemic: Evidence from Medicare Part D," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. Johanna Catherine Maclean & Justine Mallatt & Christopher J. Ruhm & Kosali Simon, 2022. "The Opioid Crisis, Health, Healthcare, and Crime: A Review of Quasi-Experimental Economic Studies," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 703(1), pages 15-49, September.
    3. David Powell & Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, 2021. "The Evolving Consequences of OxyContin Reformulation on Drug Overdoses," American Journal of Health Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 7(1), pages 41-67.
    4. Alice M. Ellyson & Jevay Grooms & Alberto Ortega, 2022. "Flipping the script: The effects of opioid prescription monitoring on specialty‐specific provider behavior," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(2), pages 297-341, February.
    5. Ghosh, Ausmita & Simon, Kosali & Sommers, Benjamin D., 2019. "The Effect of Health Insurance on Prescription Drug Use Among Low-Income Adults:Evidence from Recent Medicaid Expansions," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 64-80.
    6. Gal Wettstein, 2019. "Health insurance and opioid deaths: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act young adult provision," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(5), pages 666-677, May.
    7. Denis Agniel & Jonathan H. Cantor & Johanna Catherine Maclean & Kosali I. Simon & Erin Taylor, 2023. "Insurance Coverage and Provision of Opioid Treatment: Evidence from Medicare," NBER Working Papers 31884, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Christopher J. Ruhm, 2018. "Deaths of Despair or Drug Problems?," NBER Working Papers 24188, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Meinhofer, Angélica & Witman, Allison E., 2018. "The role of health insurance on treatment for opioid use disorders: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 177-197.
    10. Alpert, Abby & Lakdawalla, Darius & Sood, Neeraj, 2023. "Prescription drug advertising and drug utilization: The role of Medicare Part D," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    11. Hamersma, Sarah & Maclean, Johanna Catherine, 2021. "Do expansions in adolescent access to public insurance affect the decisions of substance use disorder treatment providers?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    12. Johanna Catherine Maclean & Brendan Saloner, 2019. "The Effect of Public Insurance Expansions on Substance Use Disorder Treatment: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 38(2), pages 366-393, March.
    13. Sanzenbacher, Geoffrey T. & Wettstein, Gal, 2020. "Drug insurance and the strategic behavior of drug manufacturers: Evergreening and generic entry after Medicare Part D," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    14. Hermosilla, Manuel & Wu, Yufei, 2018. "Market size and innovation: The intermediary role of technology licensing," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(5), pages 980-991.
    15. Dranove, David & Garthwaite, Craig & Heard, Christopher & Wu, Bingxiao, 2022. "The economics of medical procedure innovation," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    16. David Beheshti, 2019. "Adverse health effects of abuse‐deterrent opioids: Evidence from the reformulation of OxyContin," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(12), pages 1449-1461, December.
    17. Abraham Abebe Asfaw, 2019. "The effect of prescription drug insurance on health behavior: Evidence from Medicare Part D," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(3), pages 403-418, March.
    18. Johanna Catherine Maclean & Brady P. Horn & Jonathan H. Cantor, 2020. "Business Cycles And Admissions To Substance Abuse Treatment," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 38(1), pages 139-154, January.
    19. Deiana Claudio & Giua Ludovica, 2021. "The Intended and Unintended Effects of Opioid Policies on Prescription Opioids and Crime," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 21(2), pages 751-792, April.
    20. Aparna Soni & Lindsey Bullinger & Christina Andrews & Amanda Abraham & Kosali Simon, 2024. "The impact of state Medicaid eligibility and benefits policy on neonatal abstinence syndrome hospitalizations," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 42(1), pages 25-40, January.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:31:y:2022:i:8:p:1649-1675. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/5749 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.