Buprenorphine Coverage Is Improving, but Access Barriers Remain

  • Jun 08, 2023

    Although health plans’ formularies have largely been making it easier for people to access buprenorphine in recent years, new research indicates that coverage barriers and access gaps remain — particularly for a newer, costlier extended-release formulation of the opioid use disorder (OUD) drug.  

    However, a recent FDA approval could usher in more competition that decreases the price and increases coverage of extended-release buprenorphine, which has major advantages over the immediate-release versions, according to one of the study authors. 

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  • Leslie Small

    Leslie has been working in journalism since 2009 and reporting on the health care industry since 2014. She has covered the many ups and downs of the Affordable Care Act exchanges, the failed health insurer mega-mergers, and hundreds of other storylines spanning subjects such as Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage, employer-sponsored insurance, and prescription drug coverage. As the managing editor of Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits, she writes and edits for both publications while overseeing a small team of reporters who also focus on the managed care sector. Before joining AIS Health, she was a senior editor for the e-newsletter Fierce Health Payer, and she started her career as a copy editor at multiple local newspapers. She graduated with a dual degree in journalism and political science from Penn State University.

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