BOSTON (AP) — Major Massachusetts health plans covering 2.6 million residents have announced that they will cover methadone treatment by July 1 in an effort to address the surge in opioid addiction.
Lora Pellegrini, president of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, says the health plans decided to offer coverage independently after conversations with state officials on how they could help. The organization represents 17 plans.
Some health plans, including Medicaid, already cover methadone. The state’s largest insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, has covered methadone for a decade.
Kevin Norton, CEO of Lahey Health Behavioral Services, tells The Boston Globe (http://bit.ly/1yQ02cK ) that the move could decrease overall health care costs because medical costs for untreated substance abusers tend to be higher.
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