Medicare Policy Will Deny Coverage for Medically Necessary Treatments for Debilitating Pain and Potentially Increase Opioid Use, Misuse

Melissa Etheridge’s Rock Jam gala raises over $1 million for research to treat opioid use disorder

Melissa Etheridge performs at Arizona Financial Theatre on October 12, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by John Medina/Getty Images) Melissa Etheridge helped raise over $1 million for her Etheridge Foundation at the nonprofit’s inaugural Rock Jam fundraiser, which featured performances by Etheridge, co-host Hugh Jackman and country star Ashley McBryde. The gala event took place Oct. 30 at VEA in Newport Beach, California, with the money funding …

Medicare Policy Will Deny Coverage for Medically Necessary Treatments for Debilitating Pain and Potentially Increase Opioid Use, Misuse

Millions of chronic pain patients may be forced to turn to opioids or less effective treatments for their conditions, at a time when the opioid epidemic continues to claim the lives of Americans at an alarming rate. A newly proposed Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) policy aims to deny those suffering from chronic pain, coverage and access to peripheral nerve blocks (PNB) - a minimally invasive and historically effective, non-opioid tre…