Amid Opioid Crisis, Insurers Restrict Pricey, Less Addictive Painkillers

At a time when the United States is in the grip of an opioid epidemic, many insurers are limiting access to pain medications that carry a lower risk of addiction or dependence, even as they provide comparatively easy access to generic opioid medications.

The reason, experts say: Opioid drugs are generally cheap while safer alternatives are often more expensive.

By KATIE THOMAS and CHARLES ORNSTEIN