The U.S. Senate Committee on Aging held a hearing last week about the misuse of opioids among seniors. And it is a growing problem

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine opened the hearing by saying no one is immune from the effects of addiction, including older adults. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that opioid misuse doubled between 2002 and 2014 among Americans ages 50 and older.

Gary Cantrell, from the Office of the Inspector General, testified. He said his agency identified Medicare beneficiaries receiving extremely high amounts opioids.

Further, nearly 90,000 beneficiaries are at serious risk of opioid misuse or overdose. Some received extreme amounts of opioids over two-and-a half-times the CDC guidelines, while others appeared to be doctor shopping.

William Stauffer is the executive director of the Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Alliance. He says one-in-three Americans with Medicare coverage are prescribed opioids.

However, while Medicare pays for opioid pain killers, Medicare does not pay for drug and alcohol treatment in most instances.

Another witness testified that Medicare beneficiaries are the fastest growing population of diagnosed opioid use disorders.