The problem of opioid addiction and the subsequent issues created by these drugs have skyrocketed in the U.S. From 1999 to 2010, the number of Americans who died due to opioid overdose tripled. As of the beginning of last year, the number of opioid-related deaths since the turn of the millennium has now quadrupled, according to statistics.
Upon seeing these shocking trends, we might assume that these deaths occurred from irresponsible use and illegal drug sales at the street level. However, this is not the case. According to data from several official Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs), the majority of these drug-related deaths are directly linked to doctor-prescribed opioids. However, this is only a small portion of the story.
According to official records, 80 percent of prescription drugs are prescribed by only 20 percent of prescribers. That means that by comparison, there is a distinctively small number of doctors and medical professionals handing out these harmful drugs to patients. We might also keep in mind that this issue goes far beyond that of the average doctor. Take Big Pharma for instance.
Consider the fact that the pharmaceutical industry has created virtually no actual cures for disease in the last six decades. Let's also consider the normal business practice of Big Pharma to manufacture provably hazardous chemicals as supposed treatments for diseases. When we look at the proposed intention of pharmaceutical companies and compare them to the effects of their product line (along with the dangerous negligence which these companies appear to employ), the picture does not seem to add up.
From these observations, there appears to be a serious issue seething beneath the current medical and pharmaceutical establishment.
Forbes.com had this to say on the subject.
Upon seeing these shocking trends, we might assume that these deaths occurred from irresponsible use and illegal drug sales at the street level. However, this is not the case. According to data from several official Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs), the majority of these drug-related deaths are directly linked to doctor-prescribed opioids. However, this is only a small portion of the story.
According to official records, 80 percent of prescription drugs are prescribed by only 20 percent of prescribers. That means that by comparison, there is a distinctively small number of doctors and medical professionals handing out these harmful drugs to patients. We might also keep in mind that this issue goes far beyond that of the average doctor. Take Big Pharma for instance.
Consider the fact that the pharmaceutical industry has created virtually no actual cures for disease in the last six decades. Let's also consider the normal business practice of Big Pharma to manufacture provably hazardous chemicals as supposed treatments for diseases. When we look at the proposed intention of pharmaceutical companies and compare them to the effects of their product line (along with the dangerous negligence which these companies appear to employ), the picture does not seem to add up.
From these observations, there appears to be a serious issue seething beneath the current medical and pharmaceutical establishment.
Forbes.com had this to say on the subject.
The United States is in the midst of an opioid crisis unlike anything we have seen in medicine since the HIV epidemic in the 1990s. Imagine, the U.S. has five percent of the world’s population but uses 50 percent of the world’s opioid analgesics. In 2017 alone, an opioid overdose was the cause of more than 60,000 deaths —quadruple the number of deaths since 1999. This death rate continues to increase and shows no signs of slowing.
This apparent epidemic of opioid addiction has been covered by corporate media, but only to a point. There is no denying the reality that the U.S. has fallen far short of its potential for health and prosperity, and many people feel that this decline has been accidental. Fortunately, at present, the issue appears to be receiving much needed attention.
The problem of opioid addiction is a clear threat to public health. However, one aspect of this issue has caused the issue to balloon out of control. The issue is that doctors—those who supposedly honor their Hippocratic oath to do no harm and who have the greatest ability to prevent this harm to public health—are among the main culprits fraudulently dealing these dangerous drugs.
According to recent disclosures, the opioid issue is not simply caused by unfortunate mistakes in a functional health care system. These problems were the direct result of a combination of excessive problems within current U.S. healthcare policy.
Here is what the Department of Justice had to say on the matter.
* * * * *
Published: June 28, 2018
Attorney General Sessions Delivers Remarks Announcing National Health Care Fraud and Opioid Takedown
Washington, DC ~
Thursday, June 28, 2018
____________________________________________________________________
Remarks as prepared for delivery
Good morning, and thank you all for being here.
Last July the Department of Justice announced a record-breaking enforcement action against health care fraud. We coordinated the efforts of more than 1,000 state and federal law enforcement agents to charge more than 400 defendants—including 56 doctors—with more than $1.3 billion in fraud.
Today I am announcing that we are breaking records again.
The Department of Justice, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services, is announcing the largest health care fraud takedown operation in American history.
This year we are charging 601 people, including 76 doctors, 23 pharmacists, 19 nurses, and other medical personnel with more than $2 billion in medical fraud.
Much of this fraud is related to our ongoing opioid crisis—which is the deadliest drug epidemic in American history. Some of our most trusted medical professionals look at their patients—vulnerable people suffering from addiction—and they see dollar signs.
Since January 2017, we have charged nearly 200 doctors and another 220 other medical personnel for opioid-related crimes. Sixteen of those doctors prescribed more than 20.3 million pills illegally.
Even before today’s announcement, in Fiscal 2017 our OCDETF Task Forces indicted more than 6,500 defendants in opioid-related investigations and seized more than $150 million from them.
In this latest operation, with the help of our fabulous partners at HHS, we have charged another 162 people—including 32 doctors—with the illegal distribution of opioids.
This is the most doctors, the most medical personnel, and the most fraud that the Department of Justice has ever taken on in any single law enforcement action. This is the most defendants we’ve ever charged with health care fraud. It’s also the most opioid-related fraud defendants we’ve ever charged in a single enforcement action.
These cases are vitally important not only to the victims of these fraudsters, but to the entire country. Many of these fraudsters have stolen our tax dollars—and many have helped flood our streets with drugs.
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For example, one doctor allegedly defrauded Medicare of more than $112 million by distributing 2.2 million unnecessary doses of drugs like oxycodone and fentanyl.
In another case, 13 defendants in one fraud scheme allegedly defrauded taxpayers of more than $126 million, much of which was intended to pay for health care for our troops.
These are despicable crimes and we’re not going to tolerate them.
Indeed, working with our partner, Secretary Azar and his fine team at HHS, our tactics at finding evidence of fraud are only becoming more sophisticated and more effective.
As Attorney General I have put in place new tools that are helping us to find the fraudsters and gather the evidence needed to put them in jail.
One of these tools is the Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit – a new data analytics program that focuses specifically on opioid-related health care fraud. This data analytics team can tell us important information, like who is prescribing the most drugs, who is dispensing the most drugs, and whose patients are dying of overdoses.
As part of this initiative, I have assigned a dozen experienced prosecutors in districts to focus solely on investigating and prosecuting opioid-related health care fraud. I have sent these prosecutors to where they are especially needed.
Today is a historic day—but our work is not finished. We are just getting started. We will continue to find, arrest, prosecute, convict, and incarcerate fraudsters and drug dealers wherever they are.
We will use the new tools that I have mentioned to stop criminals from exploiting vulnerable people and stealing our hard-earned tax dollars.
We are sending a clear message to criminals across the country: we will find you. We will bring you to justice. And you will pay a very high price for what you have done.
I believe that is already deterring and preventing fraud. In two districts where we have Health Care Fraud Strike Forces, we have seen a 20 percent drop in Medicare Parts A & B billings. That equates to over a $2 billion savings for the taxpayers.
I want to thank Secretary Azar for his leadership and for his indispensable partnership in this effort. I also want to thank the dedicated DEA, FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and HHS personnel for their valuable assistance and teamwork.
I want to thank all of the 151 DOJ prosecutors, all of the staff and agents who did their part to make today possible. They have made the entire Department proud. DOJ personnel from 58 federal districts participated in this operation—that’s a majority of all U.S. Attorney’s offices and the most that have ever participated in a health care fraud enforcement action.
Above all I think that we owe a major debt of gratitude to the more than 1,000 law enforcement officers—state, federal, local, and tribal—involved in these cases. I want to thank them and their families for their service to this country. Thank you and now I'll turn this over to my friend Secretary Azar.
Proof of Progress
It may be encouraging to read this official initiative to hold medical professionals accountable for the various criminal acts which have led the country into the opioid crisis we are now said to be facing.
For many months, citizens of the U.S. have been awaiting the service of the now-famed sealed indictments. We have heard so much about these mysterious documents, their possible purposes, and the various possible culprits for whom they were drafted. We also heard from various mainstream media sources, that these indictments were fake news and that they were little more than conspiracy theory. Yet here we are seeing them in action.
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Upon hearing about this forward momentum of justice in the U.S., some people will generally be optimistic about these occurrences. However, some may be skeptical about whether or not these indictments will result in true justice. One of the questions that arise is, "Why are there only doctors and nurses being indicted?" Another may be, "How can the indictment and prosecution of doctors help to solve an issue that extends far beyond lower-level medical professions."
It is a good point to make that the true cause of most of the problems within the medical establishment are not cause by doctors alone, but by the various corporations which pay the doctors to commit crimes such as fraud and reckless endangerment of patients. So what might the motive be for prosecuting doctors?
The Hierarchy of Corruption
In my perspective, there are three ways the authorities might solve the (alleged) problem of rampant, multi-level corruption which the U.S. is now facing.
They could attack the criminal organization from the top of it structure and work their way downward. However, this task might be very risky, as it would create a largely unpredictable situation for authorities to anticipate.
As we may know, within any criminal organization, the top of the pyramid is the most important element of the structure. Naturally, the entire structure is designed to be resilient against anyone who might try to oppose it. (This includes law enforcement.) However, the top is the central aspect of the structures and is typically protected by every other element within the organization.
Any time a criminal investigation or persecution is on the horizon, the organization will defend itself by sacrificing subordinates in order to ensure the overall integrity of the criminal structure. It is possible for authorities to attempt to take out the top of a pyramid. However, this course is typically considered the path of greatest resistance, as (again) every other aspect of the pyramid is designed to protect the head of the organization.
The authorities might try attacking the organization from a midpoint and work their way both up and down the organizational structure simultaneously. However, that course may be largely inefficient, as it would burn through resources of the authorities and may possibly cause them to miss key details and windows of opportunity. After all, time is of the essence in executing these operations, and for authorities to run a hindered investigation while dividing the forces in two different directions would not lead to the most productive results. (Of course, if the authorities have extensive resources and could handle multitasking, this tactic might work.)
It seems most sensible for the authorities to pursue these criminal enterprises starting at the lower levels and working their way upward, and there are a number of reasons as to why.
As previously stated, these pyramid-style, criminal organizations are designed to sacrifice the lower portions of their structure for the sake of the upper portion. Nearly everyone occupying the bottom of these operations is considered expendable and is typically bribed or threatened (or both) in order to ensure loyalty to the secrecy of the organization.
If by chance, these lower level criminals were taken down first, given protection from assassination along with some type of plea bargain, these lower-level criminals could easily give up key information that would help take down the upper portions of the pyramid. This method is continued until only the top of the pyramid remains, and then the top falls as well.
Damaged Systems and Medical Neglect
We hear this term healthcare in multiple contexts in modern politics. However, considering the reality of our current health conditions following the conception of the FDA, the term does not seem to apply to the reality of our situation.
By all appearances, the term healthcare is a gross misnomer. The truth of current American society is that actual health within the general population is rare at best. Currently, it seems more common for a person to have a serious health-related issue than it is to have no issues at all. To add, every time a patient makes a complaint to their doctor about a new ache or pain they have, the doctor's first and often their only solution is to dish out questionable drugs to patients. These drugs are not typically designed to solve any particular problem, but only serve as a temporary quick-fix.
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This system of illness management appears to be sustained by a medical establishment that is founded upon a dangerous assumption. This assumption is that, "Substance dependency is the only way to solve any health problem which human beings face." When we state this standard in plain language, it may sound ridiculous, and according to the continued results, it very much is.
It may be true that doctors are somewhat disillusioned from the time they enter medical school to the time they are licensed and begin their own practice. These doctors may begin their careers desiring to heal the ailments of others. However, instead learning how to heal others, most doctors are simply taught about how artificial chemicals affect the human body and how to best add as many chemicals into the body as possible to temporarily conceal whatever problem patients have.
It may be that if these medical professionals were given a system that was actually solution-oriented, they may have better results than what the commonplace handful of pills can provide. However, at present, we have a distorted and largely counterproductive medical establishment that could use a monumental overhaul. Fortunately, as things appear, we are witnessing the beginnings of this overhauling process.
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This system of illness management appears to be sustained by a medical establishment that is founded upon a dangerous assumption. This assumption is that, "Substance dependency is the only way to solve any health problem which human beings face." When we state this standard in plain language, it may sound ridiculous, and according to the continued results, it very much is.
It may be true that doctors are somewhat disillusioned from the time they enter medical school to the time they are licensed and begin their own practice. These doctors may begin their careers desiring to heal the ailments of others. However, instead learning how to heal others, most doctors are simply taught about how artificial chemicals affect the human body and how to best add as many chemicals into the body as possible to temporarily conceal whatever problem patients have.
It may be that if these medical professionals were given a system that was actually solution-oriented, they may have better results than what the commonplace handful of pills can provide. However, at present, we have a distorted and largely counterproductive medical establishment that could use a monumental overhaul. Fortunately, as things appear, we are witnessing the beginnings of this overhauling process.
Half Truths and the MSM
It seems that for some time now, the corporate media has been touching on this issue of opioid addiction and death. However, according to research, these MSM reports tend to fall short of the entire truth behind opioids and over-prescription. Here is Politico.com with one explanation of the issue.
Policy Option 4: Removing Perverse Incentives and Payment Barriers
Prescribing decisions are influenced by patient satisfaction surveys and insurance reimbursement practices, participants said. Patient satisfaction surveys are perceived — not necessarily accurately — as making it harder for physicians to say “no” to patients who are seeking opioids. Long-standing insurance practices, such as allowing only one pain prescription to be filled a month, are also encouraging doctors to prescribe more pills than a patient is likely to need — adding to the risk of overuse, as well as chance of theft, sale or other diversion of leftover drugs.
Several participants said clinician salaries hinge, in part, on patient satisfaction surveys — and the risk of patient dissatisfaction may increase when a physician does not write a quick-fix prescription. In addition, doctors often must see a high volume of patients, encouraging them to take the quicker and easier approach and write an opioid prescription rather than explore alternatives or explain why a prescription is not appropriate.
Many times, when we look at the MSM narrative of a story which they present, we may notice a specific pattern. Whenever a subject arises which could embarrass large oil or pharmaceutical corporations, the MSM has a tendency to give explanations which, by all appearances, seem logical and thorough. Yet these explanations fail to reveal the entire truth.
Many times, these explanations for gross problems within society can be attributed to unfortunate circumstances and innocent mistakes on the part of various professionals. However, instead of delivering the entire story, the MSM typically spins their reports in a direction which preserves the reputation of every corporation behind the issue. This typically manifests in the MSM pretending that every embarrassing failure is nothing more than an innocent mistake, or an unavoidable absolute resulting from necessary or preexisting circumstances.
Many times, these explanations for gross problems within society can be attributed to unfortunate circumstances and innocent mistakes on the part of various professionals. However, instead of delivering the entire story, the MSM typically spins their reports in a direction which preserves the reputation of every corporation behind the issue. This typically manifests in the MSM pretending that every embarrassing failure is nothing more than an innocent mistake, or an unavoidable absolute resulting from necessary or preexisting circumstances.
It may be that in some cases of over-prescription of opioid painkillers, doctors are not entirely responsible for causing the issue. Consequently, it may not be the best idea to treat everyone involved like a criminal. If, in fact, these issues are caused by innocent oversight or unfortunate policies, the fact must be taken into account. However, according to the Department of Justice, innocent mistakes do not account for the entirety of opioid deaths in the U.S.
The Diagnosis
When we consider the history of opium, we may remember its common use as a recreational drug, as well as its historical marketing by governments of the past, we may wonder why modern professionals seem to be ignoring how extremely addictive these drugs are. It is as though the current medical establishment has done away with their knowledge of history and is either carelessly repeating dangerous habits, or some aspect of the system is deliberately causing these problems of opioid addiction (similar to the way the British government did during the 1800s).
It seems very likely that both of these cases—both situations of willful ignorance and active participation of doctors—represent our present situation. It may very well be that the opioid problem stems from simple negligence. Then again, it may also be that the overall lack of adequate circumstances for true healing for patients persuades some doctors to take the easier path.
It seems very likely that both of these cases—both situations of willful ignorance and active participation of doctors—represent our present situation. It may very well be that the opioid problem stems from simple negligence. Then again, it may also be that the overall lack of adequate circumstances for true healing for patients persuades some doctors to take the easier path.
Some doctors may actually be unfortunate victims of circumstance, as the above excerpt from Politico states. However, even in these cases, by refraining from speaking out against numerous ongoing ethical violations, doctors commit a violation of omission. Such negligence can represent a failure to act when nearly the entire American population is being endangered by hazardous policies and dangerous drugs. Though these doctors may risk their jobs in doing so, taking such a stance seems to be necessary in today's apparently dysfunctional medical establishment.
Aside from the medical professionals who may have passively offended, there are those who actively and provably took payoffs for the sake of dealing out harmful drugs to their patients. They did this while knowing the consequences of the actions and knowing the likelihood that they would face serious punishment should they be caught. These are the professionals it seems the MSM has failed to investigate and report.
Aside from the medical professionals who may have passively offended, there are those who actively and provably took payoffs for the sake of dealing out harmful drugs to their patients. They did this while knowing the consequences of the actions and knowing the likelihood that they would face serious punishment should they be caught. These are the professionals it seems the MSM has failed to investigate and report.
We may keep in mind that this very issue of medical corruption has been a regular topic of discussion within alternative media for a long while. This makes it refreshing to see official measures taken to actually bring the problem to an end.
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