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Kentucky

Kentucky

State Facts

1,063

Deaths, or 69.1% of total overdose deaths involved opioids in 2023.¹

1.4 Million

Claims, or 4.66% of all Medicare Part D claims were for opioids in 2022 – an average of 76 per prescriber.²

58.3

Opioid Prescriptions were written for every 100 persons in Kentucky in 2023.³

22,615

Beneficiaries on Medicare Part D had Opioid Use Disorder in 2022.⁴

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Opioid Settlement Funds

$869,803,250.13
State Spending Recommendation

National approved use: providing support for non-opioid pain treatment alternatives, including training providers to offer or refer to multi-modal, evidence-informed treatment of pain.

Member & Endorser Footprint

Voices is backed by a broad coalition of organizations across the state united by a shared goal: ensuring patients have access to safe, effective, 
and individualized pain management throughout the continuum of care.

2025 Introduced Relevant Legislation

SB 128

SB 128 prevents Kentucky Medicaid from denying coverage for non-opioid analgesics in favor of opioid alternatives. Additionally, it prohibits the implementation of stricter or more extensive utilization controls on non-opioid analgesics compared to the least restrictive requirements applied to opioids or other narcotic pain medications.

Introduced
02/11/2025
Plan Impact
Medicaid
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Voices Letters

SB 128 Sponsor Letter of Support

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SB 128 Chairman Letter of Support

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1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2025). Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). Medicare Part D Opioid Prescribing Mapping Tool. https://cms-oeda.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=5390718d875d4c049b1ac5976a9ff083

3. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). Opioid Dispensing Rate Maps. https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/data-research/facts-stats/opioid-dispensing-rate-maps.html

4. Office of the Inspector General (2023). The Consistently Low Percentage of Medicare Enrollees Receiving Medication to Treat Their Opioid Use Disorder Remains a Concern. https://oig.hhs.gov/documents/evaluation/2722/OEI-02-23-00250-Complete%20Report.pdf