HB1186

House Bill 1186, titled the 'Pain Relief Parity Act,' mandates that the Arkansas Department of Human Services ensure parity for non-opioid pain relief medications within the Arkansas Medicaid program's formulary and preferred drug list. The bill prohibits the state from disadvantaging or discouraging the use of FDA-approved, non-opioid pain treatments compared to opioid or narcotic alternatives. Specifically, it forbids designating non-opioid drugs as 'non-preferred' if an opioid is listed as 'preferred.' Additionally, the legislation prohibits imposing more restrictive or extensive utilization controls, such as prior authorization or step therapy, on non-opioid pain relief drugs than those applied to opioid or narcotic medications.