More States Require Insurers to Cover Non-Opioid Pain Meds

Bipartisan efforts aim to increase access to alternatives to addictive opioids

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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More states are requiring their Medicaid programs and health insurance companies to cover non-opioid pain medications as an alternative to opioids, which can be cheaper for insurers but also more addictive for patients. Advocates, providers, medical associations and state lawmakers are pushing for parity in coverage, prohibiting insurers from charging higher copayments for non-opioids than for opioids, and barring them from requiring prior authorization or step therapy before covering non-opioid drugs.

Why it matters

The push for non-opioid pain medication coverage is part of a broader effort to address the opioid crisis by encouraging the use of less addictive alternatives. Increasing access to non-opioid pain treatments could help prevent new cases of opioid addiction, especially among young patients recovering from injuries or surgery.

The details

At least eight states have enacted laws requiring insurers to cover non-opioid pain medications, including Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Oregon and Tennessee. In states still considering such legislation, the efforts have been bipartisan, with lawmakers in both Democratic and Republican-leaning states backing the bills. The issue has gained momentum as leading medical associations have urged providers to avoid opioids as the first-line treatment for pain. A new non-opioid pain medication called suzetrigine, approved by the FDA last year, is one of the drugs that advocates want insurers to cover.

  • The FDA approved the new non-opioid pain medication suzetrigine, under the brand name Journavx, in 2025.
  • Bipartisan federal legislation aimed at increasing Medicaid enrollees' access to non-opioid pain medications was introduced in Congress in 2025 and referred to a committee.

The players

American Society of Anesthesiologists

A medical association that has urged insurance plans to make non-opioid therapies as accessible to patients as opioid-based therapies.

Voices for Non-Opioid Choices

An advocacy group that has been lobbying for state laws requiring insurers to cover non-opioid pain medications, including the new drug suzetrigine.

Sterling Elliott

An Illinois clinical pharmacist, lecturer at Northwestern University, and board member of Voices for Non-Opioid Choices.

Phil Steck

A Democratic Assemblymember in New York who is the cosponsor of a bipartisan bill to require insurers to cover non-opioid pain medications.

Chris Fox

The Washington lobbyist who serves as executive director of Voices for Non-Opioid Choices.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee (Instagram)

What’s next

The bipartisan federal legislation introduced in Congress last year to increase Medicaid enrollees' access to non-opioid pain medications is currently being considered in committee.

The takeaway

Expanding insurance coverage for non-opioid pain medications is a key part of efforts to address the opioid crisis by providing patients with less addictive alternatives. While the newer non-opioid drugs can be more expensive, the long-term benefits of preventing opioid addiction make this an important policy priority across the political spectrum.