Sunday, February 23, 2025, 9:30AM |  27°
MENU
Advertisement
This Aug. 15, 2017 photo shows an arrangement of pills of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen.
1
MORE

Governor to remove pre-authorization requirement for some opioid treatment

Patrick Sison/Associated Press

Governor to remove pre-authorization requirement for some opioid treatment

HARRISBURG — In an effort to help people get faster treatment for opioid addiction, the state will remove a pre-authorization requirement for Medicaid recipients prescribed some types of medication helpful for recovery, Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to announce Thursday.

Pre-authorization can take up to 24 hours, and the administration hopes the change — which advocates have been calling for — will prevent situations in which people struggling with addiction must decide whether to pay out of pocket for the medication, continue to use drugs or risk going into painful withdrawal.

"If even one person is delayed access to the treatment they need, it is one person too many," Mr. Wolf, a Democrat, said in a statement. The governor will also ask private insurers to consider making similar changes, according to sources familiar with his plans. He does not have jurisdiction over Medicare, which runs through the federal government.

Advertisement

Mr. Wolf's announcement, expected Thursday afternoon at Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Chester, comes partway through a three-month-long opioid disaster declaration, which allows government officials to temporarily suspend some regulations to help combat a deadly epidemic. But this change likely will continue past the end of the declaration, according to two people familiar with the plan.

Pennsylvania to get $10 million from Bloomberg group in fight against opioid deaths
Kris B. Mamula
Pennsylvania to get $10 million from Bloomberg group in fight against opioid deaths

The waiver applies to medication-assisted treatments, such as Suboxone and Vivitrol, that help block effects of withdrawal or prevent people from experiencing a high. Patients often take those types of medications while receiving therapy or counseling.

Treatments with Suboxone and Vivitrol require a prescription from a doctor. They often also require a preauthorization from insurance. The pre-authorization can come immediately, or it can take as long as 24 hours to process. With the waiver in place, a prescription alone will be enough to ensure that Medicaid recipients receive coverage for such treatments.

Groups that provide drug addiction services have been pushing insurers to remove preauthorization requirements for medication-assisted treatment.

Advertisement

"That's going to save some lives," said Jose Benitez, executive director of Prevention Point. "We'll be able to prescribe much-needed medicine to people — it's a huge help."

Nationally, groups such as the American Medical Association have also advocated for the removal of preauthorization requirements.

"When a patient seeking care for an opioid use disorder is forced to delay or interrupt ongoing treatment....there often is a negative impact on their care and health. With respect to opioid use disorders, that could mean relapse or death from overdose," the association wrote in a letter sent to attorneys general across the country.

Pennsylvania logged 4,642 drug-related overdose deaths in 2016, about 85 percent of which involved an opioid, according to an analysis by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. Toxicology tests can take weeks to process, so numbers for 2017 are still being finalized, but state officials said they suspect there was an increase between 2016 and 2017.

Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Aubrey Whelan contributed to this report.

First Published: March 1, 2018, 2:39 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning
1
business
Amid funding uncertainty, Pitt pauses doctoral admissions
Pirates outfielder DJ Stewart gets congratulations from teammates after his home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of the Grapefruit League season at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
2
sports
5 takeaways from Pirates' spring training victory over Orioles
York County District Attorney Timothy J. Barker reacts during a news conference regarding the shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
3
news
Police officer killed, gunman dead in shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York
Preston Coleman, 52, was beaten and strangled inside an Aliquippa VFW on Jan. 5, 2025, in what police described as a vicious, unprovoked attack.
4
news
Bartender working at Aliquippa VFW during beating that left man unconscious facing charges
A new report advises retirees in 2025 to aim for just 3.7% when withdrawing from savings -- down from 4%. Over a 30-year retirement, that could mean the difference between financial security or outliving your cash in your 80s or 90s, financial experts say.
5
business
How much can retirees safely withdraw from their nest eggs? Financial experts weigh in.
This Aug. 15, 2017 photo shows an arrangement of pills of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen.  (Patrick Sison/Associated Press)
Patrick Sison/Associated Press
Advertisement
LATEST news
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story