OPPOSE: House Bill 824 mandates that consumers and businesses pay for expensive brand name opioid use disorder drugs when less-costly generics are available.
There are multiple forms of buprenorphine/naloxone used to treat opioid use disorder. They can range from around $150 dollars for a generic to upwards of $500 for brand name varieties. There is no added clinical value with the more expensive drug. Under this bill, insurers and businesses would be required to cover a prescribed $500 brand name drug even if an equally effective, less expensive generic equivalent is available. This would cause drug costs to increase, which in turn means higher premiums and higher employee contributions to their company’s health plan.
