This bill amends various chapters of the General Laws to establish requirements for health insurance policies regarding pain management services. Specifically, it mandates that all individual or group health insurance contracts providing prescription coverage, effective January 1, 2027, must develop a plan to ensure adequate access to a broad spectrum of pain management services. These services include nonopioid and nonnarcotic medications, as well as nonmedication alternatives to opioids, in accordance with guidelines developed by the Department of Health.

The plans must be submitted to the Department of Health for approval, which will assess the adequacy of access and ensure that policies do not unduly favor opioid prescriptions over other pain management options. The bill also prohibits health insurance carriers from applying any utilization review processes, such as prior authorization or step therapy, for clinically appropriate nonopioid prescription drugs that are more restrictive than those applied to opioid drugs. This aims to facilitate easier access to nonopioid treatments for moderate to severe pain.

Additionally, the bill requires insurance carriers to distribute educational materials about the pain management access plan to network providers and to post this information on their publicly accessible websites. The act will take effect upon passage.