This bill proposes to amend current statutes by adding a new section to the Arizona Revised Statutes that mandates the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) to treat nonopioid drugs approved by the FDA for pain management on equal footing with opioid or narcotic drugs. Specifically, it stipulates that nonopioid drugs cannot be subjected to more restrictive utilization controls compared to their opioid counterparts, ensuring equitable coverage in the drug formulary.

The bill defines "treated less favorably" to include designating a nonopioid drug as nonpreferred if an opioid drug is preferred, as well as imposing stricter utilization controls such as prior authorization and step therapy for nonopioid drugs. These provisions aim to prevent discrimination against nonopioid pain management options within the AHCCCS formulary, thereby promoting their use in pain treatment.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 36-2930.07