Medical System Rant and Response: Perspective of a Substance Abuse Counselor

This commentary features a brief description of a frustrating medical experience by a U.S. health‐care provider, with responses offered by several experts from various perspectives of the health‐care system. Health‐care providers are on the front lines of care and their ability to influence outcomes is importantly shaped by policy. This rant by a substance abuse counselor expresses the point of view that Medicare reimbursement actually contributes to our opiate crisis and wastes vast sums of money. This forum allows for the venting of such a viewpoint, with responses offered by several academic researchers whose work is expressly intended to contribute to the crafting of public policy solutions to crises such as the heroin epidemic. Any such solutions ought to take into account the experiences of those most intimately acquainted with the experience of implementation.