Relief of Chronic Pain Act of 2025
Relief of Chronic Pain Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Relief of Chronic Pain Act of 2025 - Summary **What the bill would do:** This legislation aims to make certain non-opioid pain management drugs more affordable and accessible for Medicare beneficiaries (people 65 and older). Specifically, it would eliminate deductibles for these drugs, place them in the lowest cost-sharing tier possible, and prevent insurance plans from requiring patients to get prior approval or try alternative medications first before coverage is approved. The goal is to reduce barriers to these pain relief options as an alternative to opioids. **Who it affects:** The bill primarily impacts Medicare recipients who suffer from chronic pain.
It would also affect Medicare prescription drug plans that manage these benefits, as they would have new requirements for how they cover non-opioid pain medications. **Current status:** The bill was introduced in the 119th Congress by Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full Senate. No action has been taken beyond the initial introduction.
CRS Official Summary
Relief of Chronic Pain Act of 2025This bill reduces cost-sharing and prohibits the imposition of certain utilization requirements under the Medicare prescription drug benefit for certain non-opioid drugs for chronic pain management.Specifically, the bill requires such drugs to be covered without a deductible and to be placed on the lowest cost-sharing tier (if any). The bill also prohibits the imposition of prior authorization requirements (i.e., requiring prior approval from a plan) or step therapy requirements (i.e., requiring the use of alternative drugs before a drug is covered under a plan) with respect to such drugs.
Latest Action
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.