Tennessee’s largest health insurance provider has just announced that it will no longer pay for OxyContin. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee is the latest health insurance company to drop the drug, following a similar move from Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida last year. The company will, instead, be covering opioid painkillers that have less risk of diversion and abuse. Once the most dominant prescription opioid on the market, OxyContin was introduced in 1996 and underwent a reformulation in 2010, which maker Purdue Pharma said would decrease the risk of abuse and provide a safe and effective means of managing severe types of pain. Now eight years and thousands of overdoses later, more and more healthcare entities are pulling away from the drug.

The decision by BCBS of Tennessee to stop covering OxyContin is only the latest in a series of OxyContin-related headaches for Purdue. The company has been beset with immense legal trouble as they face dozens of lawsuits due to what plaintiffs call high-pressure sales tactics and deceptive marketing practices, which they say have contributed to the American opioid crisis. For their own part, Purdue has speculated that BCBS of Tennessee’s decision is financially motivated and have added that no drug is abuse-proof. The company says the recent decision by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee limits prescribers’ options to help address the opioid crisis.

The latest long-acting opioids that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee is going to start covering — Xtampza and Morphabond — are harder to misuse, according to the company and some pharmaceutical experts. It remains to be seen whether other insurance companies will follow suit and move away from the OxyContin formulary. The move has the support of many physicians in Tennessee who have longed complained about the administrative roadblocks associated with prescribing the drug.

TESTIMONIAL

This place was great for me my life has changed an I feel great now. Thanks Carma!
Joey Castillo
Dr. Powell is amazing, as well as the staff. I would highly recommend this place to anyone.
Kate Penshorn
Excellent mental health professionals in Austin!!! They truly care about their patients by offering first-class services!!
David B. Hutts

OPENING HOURS

Week Days 8:00 – 5:00
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed

Austin: 512-212-4670

Florida: 754-800-6301

OFFICE LOCATIONS

  • Central Austin Office
    630 West 34th Street Suite 301
    Austin, TX 78705
  • Dripping Springs Office
    13830 Sawyer Ranch Road Suite 301
    Dripping Springs, TX 78620
  • Pompano Beach Office
    150 E. Sample Road, Suite 320
    Pompano Beach, FL 33064

OUR VALUES

CARMAhealth strives to provide lifelong medical and behavioral care and support to individuals struggling with past and present substance use disorder.
Integrated, intuitive and compassionate care through each stage of the addiction treatment and recovery cycle, from detox to long-term management.
Expert care, compassionate support and lasting advocacy as you or your loved one endeavor to regain and manage your medical and behavioral health.

Make An Appointment

Start the healing process now. Contact our friendly and knowledgeable representatives to schedule your appointment and learn more about what we can do for you.

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT