Attorneys general for 37 states sent a letter Monday
to the health insurance industry’s main trade group, urging its members
to reconsider coverage policies that may be fueling the opioid crisis.
The letter is part of an ongoing investigation by the state officials
into the causes of the opioid epidemic and the parties that are most
responsible. The group is also focusing on the marketing and sales
practices of drug makers and the role of drug distributors.
On Sunday, ProPublica and The New York Times reported that many insurance companies
limit access to pain medications that carry a lower risk of addiction
or dependence, even as they provide comparatively easy access to generic
opioid medications. The safer drugs are more expensive.
In their letter to America’s Health Insurance Plans, the trade group
based in Washington, D.C., the attorneys general urged insurers to
revise their rules “to encourage healthcare providers to prioritize
non-opioid pain management options over opioid prescriptions for the
treatment of chronic, non-cancer pain.”
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