State aid for anti-OD drug

ALBANY — The state Health Department will soon help offset the cost for individuals looking to buy medication that reverses opioid overdoses, Gov. Cuomo announced Monday.

People with prescription health insurance coverage will receive up to $40 in co-payment assistance beginning Aug. 9 toward the purchase of naloxone at pharmacies.

The uninsured and those without prescription coverage already receive naloxone for free through the state’s opioid overdose prevention programs.

“This first-in-the-nation program will help put this lifesaving treatment in more hands and is one more prong in this administration's efforts to battle heroin and opioid abuse,” Cuomo said. “This is one more step toward a stronger, healthier New York for all.”

The money will come from the state’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Program, he said.