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Committee advances amendment to exempt antipsychotic prior‑authorization for people in psychosis
Summary
House Bill 610 would exempt some antipsychotic medications from prior authorization for people experiencing psychosis and make related changes to state pharmacy benefit rules for Medicaid; sponsor said the measure reduces dangerous delays in care for people with schizophrenia and similar conditions.
Representative Carrie Seekins Crowe presented House Bill 610 and a sponsor amendment developed with the Department of Public Health and Human Services. The bill targets prior authorization requirements for antipsychotic drugs used to treat psychosis, arguing those with acute psychosis cannot navigate multi‑step prior authorization processes and that delays can lead to hospitalization or other harms.
Proponents included representatives of NAMI Montana (Matt Kuntz), the Montana Medical Association (Jean Branscum), and the Montana Psychiatric Association (John Metropoulos). Proponents described psychosis as an acute, disabling condition where timely access to the correct antipsychotic can prevent emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and criminal justice involvement. They characterized the measure as a narrowly crafted exemption tied to clinical need and the statutory definition of antipsychotic medications.
Informational witnesses from the department — including Mary Lemieux and bureau staff — testified they had reviewed the sponsor amendment and worked with the sponsor to clarify definitions and fiscal implications; the department supported the amendment and recommended the bill be aligned with their administrative processes. Representative Seekins Crowe said the amendment and bill were intended to reduce administrative hurdles that can delay clinically appropriate prescribing.
Nut graf: HB 610 and a negotiated amendment aim to remove prior authorization barriers for antipsychotic drugs in acute psychosis to allow clinicians rapid access to medications; the department worked with the sponsor and recommended the amendment, and the committee moved the amended bill to executive action and it later passed the committee.
