Since Having A-fib Last May, My Husband Has Been Taking

Since having a-fib last May, my husband has been taking eliquis twice a day. Eliquis has been moved from a tier 3 drug to a tier 4 drug, making it very expensive. His cardiologist suggests he try xarelto, which is a tier 3 drug this year. Are there any differences in his taking xarelto?