Medicare and medicaid financing of pain management

Many Americans who endure pain are beneficiaries of the Medicare and Medica id programs; however, these programs have many gaps and deficiencies and fa il to cover some vital pain management services. Moreover, Medicare and Med icaid provider certification requirements and payment provisions fail to at tend to pain management issues, creating disincentives for the provision of adequate pain treatment. Finally, Medicare and Medicaid surveillance and e nforcement programs might be deterring adequate provision of pain managemen t. This article reviews these problem areas, and suggests reforms that woul d address them.