During my time serving in the state legislature, I heard from numerous constituents impacted by the opioid crisis who had friends or family members who had become addicted to pills after getting in a car wreck or even something as commonplace as getting their wisdom teeth removed. They saw loved ones suffering because a medication that was supposed to bring them relief had instead brought them to their lowest point.
Fortunately, the FDA has recently approved new non-opioid pain relievers that can help treat pain without addiction, giving patients new options that can help reduce the number of people put at risk of developing opioid abuse disorder every year. However, to make this a widespread option requires legislation that will make insurance companies offer coverage for these new medications rather than relying on cheap generic opioids as they have for years.
Senator Mike Henderson has put forward a thoughtful bill to deal with this issue, Senate Bill 158. This measure will prevent insurance companies from denying coverage for non-opioid pain medications prescribed to patients who have an elevated risk of developing dependency, such as individuals with a past history of substance abuse or with other risk factors that could make prescribing an opioid risky.
This will ensure those who are most likely to develop an opioid abuse disorder will not be forced to choose between taking potentially-addictive medication for pain relief or living with pain to avoid the risk of addiction.
The bill also includes language that will prevent insurance companies from requiring a higher cost-sharing amount for non-opioids, as well as banning the use of “step therapy” that would require an at-risk individual to first try an opioid option before receiving a non-opioid. Eliminating these financial and bureaucratic barriers will ensure more patients have the opportunity to choose the pain treatment option that is best for them, rather than feeling pressured into accepting an opioid.
Finally, the bill will ensure that insurance companies cannot interfere in the patient-physician relationship or impose an undue paperwork burden on physicians by requiring additional paperwork to prove a patient is at risk of addiction. Instead, physicians need only provide the notes they would routinely provide to insurers explaining their rationale, with no second guessing or unnecessary barriers.
Senate Bill 158 will give patients and physicians a real choice in treating pain and can help prevent addiction in our state. I applaud Sen. Henderson for offering this bill, and I hope that the General Assembly will pass it as soon as possible.
Former Missouri State Senator
