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Insurance subcommittee advances bill to expand non‑opioid pain treatment access for people in state custody
Summary
The Insurance Subcommittee voted 5‑0 to send House Bill 1741 to insurance full; the bill would require access to FDA‑approved non‑opioid pain treatments for people receiving care under the Tennessee Department of Corrections, extending earlier changes to TennCare and the state employee insurance plan.
Chairman Davis presented House Bill 1741 and told the Insurance Subcommittee he introduced the bill to extend parity between opioid and non‑opioid prescribing rules to people in state custody. "The goal of this bill is to create a level playing field between prescribing requirements for opioids and non opioids," Davis said, describing prior 2024 and 2025 measures that added non‑opioid options to TennCare and the state employee insurance program.
Davis said the bill would require the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) to make any FDA‑approved non‑opioid pain treatments available and accessible to inmates receiving health care under TDOC authority. He also told the panel that on Feb. 4 HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy visited Nashville and "specifically touted the bills that we had passed" and praised Tennessee for providing equal access to non‑opioids, a point Davis used to underscore the bill's policy momentum.
After brief recognition and an opportunity for questions, the subcommittee voted to send the bill to insurance full. The clerk recorded five ayes and zero nays; the motion passed and the measure will be scheduled before the full insurance committee. No amendments or roll calls naming individual votes beyond the tally were recorded in the subcommittee transcript.
Next steps: HB 1741 will proceed to the insurance full committee for further consideration and any additional debate or amendment.
