This bill mandates that health carriers develop a comprehensive program to provide access to a wide range of pain management services for individuals suffering from chronic pain. The program must adhere to guidelines set by the insurance department and include non-medication and non-surgical treatment options, as well as non-opioid medication alternatives. The bill emphasizes the importance of evidence-based therapies and aims to eliminate the double standard in the evaluation of treatment modalities provided by allopathic versus non-allopathic providers. Health carriers are required to inform covered individuals about the pain management program, make this information publicly available, and distribute educational materials to network providers.

Additionally, the bill stipulates that health carriers cannot require prior authorization for access to the pain management program, although they may implement utilization controls for non-opioid drugs that are not more restrictive than those for opioid drugs. The bill introduces new sections to the Managed Care Law, specifically RSA 420-J, with the insertion of sections 7-f and 7-g, which outline the requirements for the development of the pain management program. The effective date of the bill is contingent upon the status of another legislative bill (SB 548) and is set to take effect on January 1, 2027, unless otherwise specified.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 420-A:2, 420-B:20