ARSAM Comments on Prior Authorization Reform Legislation

On March 27th, the Arkansas Society of Addiction Medicine (ARSAM) sent a letter to members of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Commerce expressing support for removing prior authorization on injectable medications for addiction treatment (MAT) and proposing improvements to strengthen the provisions of HB 1558. HB 1558 aims to prohibit insurers, including Medicaid, from requiring prior authorization on injectable medications for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment.

In the letter, ARSAM detailed the detrimental impact that prior authorization can have on the delivery of evidence-based treatment for substance use disorder (SUD). For example, prior authorization can lead to delays in care, increasing the likelihood of negative health outcomes. ARSAM praised HB 1558 for generally seeking to remove prior authorization on injectable forms of MAT. However, ARSAM expressed concerns that the legislation could allow for prior authorization on injectable forms on MAT in certain cases. As such, ARSAM proposed edits to strengthen the legislation and encouraged lawmakers to pursue these adjustments in the final version of HB 1558.

Read the letter here.