From the HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau Special Bulletin - 5/12/2023
HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) recipients have a key role in providing access to medications for people with HIV and meeting the goals of ending the HIV epidemic. While most health insurance policies cover medications for substance use disorder (SUD), also referred to as medication-assisted treatment (MAT), including buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD) and naloxone for opioid use prevention, people with HIV who are uninsured or underinsured may not have access to these medications.
Given the important role of opioid treatment in comprehensive HIV care, when feasible, HRSA recommends RWHAP ADAPs include medications for SUDs, including buprenorphine and naloxone on their formularies. On May 11, HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau released a program letter encouraging RWHAP ADAP recipients to include medications for SUDs, including buprenorphine for OUD, and naloxone for opioid overdose prevention, on ADAP formularies.