A cost-cutting task force is considering a two-year limit on Medicaid coverage for buprenorphine treatment for addiction which would force many current, stable patients to taper off this lifesaving medication within 30 days. Maine’s proposal is especially disturbing when you consider these two very important news releases last month. First, the CDC reports prescription drug overdose deaths are on the rise, with opioid painkiller overdoses accounting for 40 deaths a day nationwide. Second, the largest study to date of Suboxone used for the treatment of prescription drug addiction produced positive results. The study clearly shows that when this effective treatment is discontinued, and thus no longer suppressing the symptoms of addiction, symptoms return placing patients at risk of death from overdose. This confirms that chronic treatment may be appropriate for the chronic condition of addiction. These results will not come as a surprise to medical professionals or patients involved with opioid addiction or buprenorphine treatment, but appear to not even be a consideration of Maine’s task force.....
Last week I attended the ASAM State of the Art in Addiction Medicine Conference in Washington and one of the speakers was Gil Kerlikowske director of the ONDCP (Office of National Drug Control Policy). After his talk on the successes of the white house’s program, and the promise of the “2011 National drug control strategy” he was asked about elimination of the 30/100 patient limit plaguing buprenorphine providers, their patients and their loved ones. This was the only question of the conference met with spontaneous applause. Mr. Kerlikowske was caught by surprise and admitted he was completely uninformed about a limit, and gave no indication that he even knew anything about the legislation pertaining to buprenorphine. This is alarming in light of the new CDC reportshowing 40 people a day die from prescription opioid overdose, 15,000 a year (in 2008). Meanwhile, patients are being denied lifesaving treatment due to effective rationing of care through government imposed patient caps. A search of the ONDCP website shows ZERO results for a “Suboxone” or “Subutex” and only two mentions of “buprenorphine” which were only incidental mentions and not about buprenorphine.
- Manufacturer’s Copay card $50 toward out-of-pocket medication cost-
- Third party prescription discount cards –
- Buy your own drug test kits online -
- Marketing research opportunities –
- Insurance –
- Manufacturer’s free meds program –
- Partial prescription fills-
- For patients taking Subutex®
- Clinical studies –
- Negotiate with the physician –
- Less frequent office visits -
- Lower dose –
- Referral fee –
- Methadone Clinics –
- Shop around-
