Trending News Today: Tennessee Blue Cross to Stop Covering OxyContin to Combat Opioid Crisis

Individuals covered under the Affordable Care Act will see only modest premium increases next year, the Associated Press reported. According to the article, an analysis by the Associated Press and Avalere Health of available state data found a 3.6% average increase in proposed or approved premiums across 47 states and Washington, DC, for next year. Premiums are expected to either drop or increase by less than 10% in 41 states, with 11 of those states expected to see a drop in average premiums, the article reported. Premiums are projected to rise between 10% and 18% in 6 other states plus Washington, DC.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee will no longer cover OxyContin next year in an effort to fight the opioid epidemic, The Hill reported. According to the article, the health insurer will instead offer coverage of 2 drugs it says are less likely to be abused: Xtampza and Morphabond. Other steps include a 7-day limit on opioid prescriptions for patients using the drugs for the first time and additional authorization requirements for higher dose opioids, the article reported.

A new study suggests that individuals who have recently had a stroke may be more than twice as likely to develop dementia than those who have not had a stroke, Reuters reported. According to the article, the researchers analyzed data from 48 previous studies with a total of 3.2 million participants worldwide. They found that those who had a recent stroke were 2.2 times more likely to develop dementia than individuals who had never had a stroke and a history of stroke was associated with a 69% higher chance of developing dementia, the article reported.