The Pain Relief Parity Act aims to ensure equitable treatment of non-opioid pain relief medications within the Arkansas Medicaid Program. The bill mandates that the Department of Human Services must not disadvantage or discourage the coverage of non-opioid drugs that are approved by the FDA for pain management compared to opioid or narcotic drugs. Specifically, it prohibits designating non-opioid drugs as non-preferred if any opioid is preferred, and it restricts the imposition of more stringent utilization controls on non-opioid drugs than those applied to opioids.

Additionally, the act stipulates that the provisions apply to non-opioid drugs as soon as they receive FDA approval for pain treatment, regardless of their review status by the department for the formulary and preferred drug list. It also encompasses drugs provided under contracts between the department and managed care organizations, thereby broadening the scope of the legislation to ensure comprehensive pain relief options for Medicaid recipients.