Bill > HB2823

This bill amends Arizona's healthcare laws to require AHCCCS (Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System), the state's Medicaid program, to treat nonopioid pain medications equally or more favorably compared to opioid pain medications in its drug formulary. Specifically, the bill mandates that nonopioid drugs approved by the FDA for pain management cannot be disadvantaged in terms of coverage. "Treated less favorably" is defined to include two key scenarios: first, preventing the classification of nonopioid drugs as nonpreferred when opioid drugs are considered preferred, and second, prohibiting more restrictive utilization controls (such as prior authorization requirements or step therapy protocols) for nonopioid drugs compared to opioid drugs. The goal of this legislation appears to be ensuring that patients have fair access to alternative pain management medications that do not carry the same addiction risks as opioids, by removing potential administrative barriers that might discourage the use of nonopioid pain treatments.

Budget and Finance

https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/83294