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Subcommittee advances bill to expand non‑opioid pain treatment access for people in state custody
Summary
The House Insurance Subcommittee voted unanimously to advance HB 1741, a bill that would extend prior state measures requiring parity between opioid and non‑opioid prescribing so that inmates under Tennessee Department of Corrections care can access FDA‑approved non‑opioid pain treatments.
The Tennessee House Insurance Subcommittee voted 5‑0 on Feb. 11 to send House Bill 1741 to the full Insurance Committee. The bill, sponsored by Chairman Davis, would extend recent state policies to ensure non‑opioid pain treatments are not disadvantaged relative to opioids so that people receiving health care under the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) can access FDA‑approved non‑opioid options.
Chairman Davis told the subcommittee the measure builds on laws the legislature passed in 2024 and 2025 that prevented non‑opioids from being disadvantaged and allowed non‑opioid medications to be placed on preferred drug lists for TennCare and the state employee insurance program, Partners for Health. "This is my first bill, so I'm excited to be able to present it to you," Davis said, summarizing the bill's intent to create a level playing field between prescribing requirements for opioids and non‑opioids and to expand those rules to the corrections population.
Davis also said that during a recent Nashville appearance HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy "touted" the earlier measures and noted that, by providing equal access to non‑opioids, Tennessee was leading the way among states. The sponsor thanked Chairman Kumar for supporting the legislation and invited questions; none were raised before the subcommittee voted.
The clerk announced five ayes and zero nays. The subcommittee approved HB 1741 and referred it to the full Insurance Committee for further consideration. The bill's text, specific implementation steps for TDOC, and any fiscal notes were not discussed on the record during this meeting.
