HB1186
To Create The Pain Relief Parity Act; And To Require Pain Relief Parity In The Arkansas Medicaid Program.
AI-Generated Summary
This bill, titled the "Pain Relief Parity Act," aims to establish parity in pain relief coverage within the Arkansas Medicaid Program. It mandates that the Department of Human Services, when creating its formulary and preferred drug list, must not disadvantage non-opioid drugs approved by the FDA for pain treatment. Specifically, it prohibits designating a non-opioid drug as non-preferred if an opioid or narcotic drug is designated as preferred. The act also prevents the establishment of more restrictive utilization controls, such as prior authorization or step therapy, for non-opioid pain medications compared to opioid or narcotic pain medications. The intention is to ensure that patients have equitable access to various pain management options.
Potential Impact Analysis
Who Might Benefit?
The primary beneficiaries of this bill are individuals enrolled in the Arkansas Medicaid Program who require pain management. This includes patients who may benefit from non-opioid pain relief options but have faced barriers to access due to formulary or utilization control restrictions. Patients seeking alternatives to opioid medications for pain management, and potentially their healthcare providers, would also benefit from the increased parity in coverage for non-opioid therapies.
Who Might Suffer?
The entities that could be negatively impacted by this bill are primarily the Arkansas Medicaid Program's administrators and potentially pharmaceutical companies that produce or heavily rely on the sales of opioid and narcotic pain medications. The Department of Human Services may face increased administrative burdens in re-evaluating and adjusting its formulary and utilization controls to comply with the parity requirements. Pharmaceutical manufacturers of opioid and narcotic drugs might see a potential decrease in market share or utilization if non-opioid alternatives become more accessible and preferred on the Medicaid formulary.