State Laws Banning Prior Authorization For Medications For Opioid Use Disorder Increased Substantially, 2015-23.

ABSTRACT: Prior authorization is a barrier to accessing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Although private insurance covered about one-third of patients with OUD in 2023, the understanding of prior authorization prohibitions in private insurance remains limited. We synthesized state laws prohibiting prior authorization for MOUD in private insurance in the US. The number of states with such prohibitions grew from two in 2015 to twenty-two in 2023, with variations in the scope of these prohibitions. Seven states have fully prohibited prior authorization for all MOUD ("full prohibitions") since the effective date. Fifteen states adopted legislation that still allows prior authorization under some conditions ("partial prohibitions," including those covering at least one of any MOUD; those cove

SUBMITTER: Hu JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12721913 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature