ASAM Thanks Anthem and New York Attorney General Schneiderman

ASAM Thanks Anthem and New York Attorney General Schneiderman for Eliminating Prior Authorization Requirements for Medications Used for Addiction Treatment

North Bethesda, MD, January 24, 2017 – The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) commends Anthem and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for securing a national agreement to no longer require prior authorization for medications to treat addiction involving opioid use. This important policy change by a national commercial insurer will ensure patients can access treatment when needed and will surely save lives. We also applaud the agreement with Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) to expand access to medications to treat addiction for their New York members, and to conduct outreach to providers about the benefits of these medications.

 “ASAM welcomes Attorney General Schneiderman’s agreement with Anthem to discontinue the requirement of prior authorization requirements to cover medications for addiction.  We also applaud the agreement for Empire BCBS to actively work to improve access to medications to treat addiction involving opioid use for their network members and to provide evidence for that improved access. We hope to see other payers following the lead of Cigna and Anthem on this critical issue,” said Kelly Clark, MD, MBA, DFAPA, DFASAM President Elect, American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Anthem and Empire BCBS have shown leadership by eliminating prior authorization requirements, and increasing access to medications for those members with addiction. They are leaders in the fight against addiction and ASAM encourages other insurers to follow suit.