Senate Bill 492 mandates that health care insurance plans and self-insured governmental health plans develop and implement a pain management access plan to ensure adequate coverage for nonopioid alternatives to opioid drugs. The bill requires these plans to provide coverage for at least two FDA-approved noncontrolled prescription medications for pain management and at least three nonpharmacological treatment options. Additionally, it prohibits these plans from imposing more restrictive utilization controls on nonopioid drugs compared to those applied to opioid drugs. The bill also requires that information about the pain management access plan be distributed to enrollees and health care providers and made publicly available online.

Furthermore, the bill includes provisions that prevent the Department of Health Services from disadvantaging nonopioid drugs on its preferred drug list compared to opioids. Specifically, it prohibits designating nonopioid drugs as nonpreferred if any opioid is listed and restricts the establishment of more stringent utilization controls for nonopioid drugs. The bill is set to take effect four months after publication and will apply to policy years beginning January 1 of the following year, with specific provisions for collective bargaining agreements.