Some Health Insurers Begin Covering Telemedicine Addiction Service

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, several health insurers, including Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield companies such as Anthem, have begun covering a telemedicine addiction service called Bright Heart Health, according to NPR.

The company has started working with insurers and health providers to help patients get addiction therapy and medications without leaving their homes. Because of the pandemic, the federal government has suspended a law requiring patients to have an in-person visit with a doctor before being prescribed Suboxone. Dr. David Kan, Chief Medical Officer of Bright Heart Health, says he hopes the change becomes permanent after the pandemic ends.

For years before the pandemic occurred, Bright Heart Health and several other companies were offering opioid addiction treatment and counseling through telemedicine, even though they were not able to prescribe the initial dose of medication. The companies allow patients to renew prescriptions for drugs to treat withdrawal symptoms, receive drug testing and meet with counselors for therapy.