Louisiana Bill to Limit Opioids for Injured Workers Passes Committee

Hoping to prevent fatal overdoses, a House committee passed a bill to make it harder for injured Louisiana workers to access highly-addictive opioid drugs.

Lawmakers voted 8-5 on May 11 to have prescribers consult a widely-used formulary before writing a prescription for patients with workers’ compensation insurance. Doctors would need preauthorization to prescribe drugs the formulary labels “non-preferred drugs,” including many opioids.

The full House next will consider House Bill 16.

Louisiana has the sixth-highest opioid prescription rate in the nation.

Rep. Kirk Talbot, the Republican bill sponsor, says Texas adopted a similar system in 2011 and has seen a significant decrease in opioid prescriptions.

Opponents say the measure’s real aim is to save insurance companies money by making it difficult for injured workers to get needed drugs.