Q: I took a new job, and now my health insurance plan won't cover my old pain medication. (I deal with chronic pain after losing a vertebra in a car accident.) But long-acting morphine is covered. I don't know if I can do my job on that kind of medication, and I really don't want to face an opioid addiction. What can I do?-Jessica B., Kissimmee, Fla.
A: Insurance companies are a bureaucratic nightmare these days, but usually in the end, if you jump through enough hoops and over enough hurdles, you'll get what you need. It looks like you have to start filing appeals for an exception. Your doctor(s) will have to get involved in the paperwork, too. If the insurance company denies your appeal, keep appealing away. It often takes more than two or three tries.
The New York Times and ProPublica recently did a piece on a situation that's similar to yours, showing how, in the middle of an opioid crisis, insurance companies are refusing to cover less-addictive pain meds that cost more and are doling out opioids, often with no co-pay.
That said, there's a new chronic pain remedy that was just approved by the Food and Drug Administration that might be a good choice for you. It's a spinal cord stimulator called Intellis (by Medtronic) that runs off a small implant that a clinician can control from a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 tablet. It sends an electrical impulse from a lead implanted in the epidural space to block pain signals from going to the brain. So talk to your doc and go see a pain management specialist to check out it and other alternatives. Good luck!
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen at
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(c) 2017 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.