OXYCONTIN COVERAGE DROPPED

Tennessee’s largest health insurer will stop covering OxyContin prescriptions as part of several measures to combat opioid addiction, a trend that may spread to other parts of the country. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee will encourage doctors to recommend two alternative opioid pain relievers, which are designed to be more difficult to abuse. The insurer will cease paying for OxyContin on January 1st. BlueCross of Tennessee is not the first health insurer to drop OxyContin. However, cancer and hospice patients with approved prescriptions will be exempt from the change.

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