HomeCare Editors’ Top 5: Week of March 21

Patients in Pain, and a Doctor Who Must Limit Drugs
A growing number of states are enacting measures to limit prescription opioids, highly addictive medicines that alleviate severe pain but have contributed to a surging epidemic of overdoses and deaths. (Jan Hoffman/New York Times)

Doctors Ponder Delicate Talks as Medicare Pays for End of Life Counsel
Physicians can now bill Medicare $86 for an office-based, end-of-life counseling session with a patient for as long as 30 minutes. (Phil Galewits/Kaiser Health News)

Just How Narrow Are the ACA Networks?
We all hear stories (and perhaps have personal experience) of people having trouble accessing one of their regular physicians or having trouble getting a desired specialist because of “narrow networks” that offer a more limited choice of doctors and hospitals. (Joanne Kenen/Covering Health)

Where Seniors Interact Most with Health Care Providers
Seniors across the country are interacting with the health care system in very different ways—and with very different regularity. (Kourtney Liepelt/Home Health Care News)

Should Federal Retirees Opt for Medicare?
I have insurance through my federal employee retirement plan. Why should I pay an additional monthly premium for Medicare Part B? (Michelle Andrews/Kaiser Health News)