Bill
Bill > S446
NJ S446
NJ S446Requires health benefits plans to cover abuse-deterrent opioid analgesic drug products.
summary
Introduced
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
In Committee
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026-2027 Regular Session
Bill Summary
This bill requires health benefits plans to cover abuse-deterrent analgesic opioid drug products. Under the bill, a carrier will be required to provide coverage and benefits, on its prescription drug formulary list, for at least one abuse-deterrent opioid analgesic drug product per opioid analgesic active ingredient. The bill also provides that cost-sharing for a brand name or generic abuse-deterrent opioid analgesic drug product is not to exceed the lowest cost-sharing amount applied to a brand name or generic non-abuse deterrent opioid drug, respectively. Finally, the bill provides that any prior-authorization requirements or other utilization review requirements for an opioid analgesic, and any service denials made thereunder, are prohibited from requiring a covered person or enrollee to use an opioid analgesic drug product without abuse-deterrent properties before a covered person or enrollee can access an abuse-deterrent opioid analgesic drug product.
AI Summary
This bill mandates that health benefits plans, offered by entities known as "carriers" (which include insurance companies and health maintenance organizations), must cover at least one abuse-deterrent opioid analgesic drug product for each type of opioid painkiller available. Abuse-deterrent opioid analgesic drug products are specifically defined as medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that have been designed to make them harder to misuse or abuse. The bill also ensures that the patient's out-of-pocket costs, referred to as "cost-sharing" (like copayments or deductibles), for these abuse-deterrent versions will not be higher than the costs for non-abuse-deterrent versions of the same drug. Furthermore, health plans cannot require patients to try non-abuse-deterrent opioid painkillers before they can access the abuse-deterrent versions, and any pre-approval processes must not hinder access to these safer drug products.
Committee Categories
Business and Industry
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Commerce Committee (on 01/13/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
Loading...
bill summary
Loading...
bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S446 |
| BillText | https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/S0500/446_I1.HTM |
Loading...