Legislation allows insurance to pay for opiod abuse deterrent

Jan. 12--CHARLESTON -- A proposed bill from the Joint Committee on Health would allow insurance companies to pay for at least one opiod abuse deterrent drug at the lowest cost-sharing tier.

Currently the only drug on the market is Suboxone, but there are others in the pipeline, according to Sen. Ron Stollings, D-Boone, who is also a doctor.

Stollings said abuse deterrent drugs can be used as preventive measures when doctors prescribe opiates. He said he hopes the bill will be a further measure to help the growing drug abuse crisis in the state.

Suboxone is a combination of Buprenorphine, which is an opiate, and Naloxone, an opiod blocker. According to drugs.com, Suboxone can be habit-forming and has some of the same side-effects as other opiates, including slowed breathing.

The proposed bill passed out of committee unanimously.

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The committee will not propose a bill that would help curb teen pregnancy in the state, although a measure was discussed during earlier interim sessions.

Attorneys for the committee said West Virginia has seen a decline in the teen pregnancy rate; however, the drop was the lowest of any state in the nation. One-in-three girls who became pregnant as teenagers said their pregnancy was the reason they dropped out of school.

Presenters to the committee had recommended sex education programs and integration with educational health and family planning.

According to Kids Count data from 2014, Raleigh County's teen birth rate worsened by nearly 19 percent, a rate of 56.1 per 100,000. Fayette County had one of the worst rankings in the state, with 52 percent. Summers County's teen birth rate increased, as well, from 41.7 to 47.6 per 100,000. Wyoming County's teen birth rate improved by 0.7 percent, from 55.5 per 100,000 to 55.1.

The Legislature is meeting in interim session in advance of the 60-day legislative season. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin will give his State of the State speech Wednesday night.

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