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Read. Follow. Verify.Colorado SB 6 requires health insurers to match non-opioid pain drug rules and costs to opioids
Last action · June 3, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Judy Amabile and 16 others
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What This Bill Does
Colorado Senate Bill 6 mandates that health insurance carriers providing prescription drug benefits make , , and cost-sharing for FDA-approved non-opioid pain management drugs no more restrictive or costly than for opioid drugs. Individual and small group plans must comply by January 1, 2027, and large employer plans by January 1, 2028. The state employee health benefit plan is excluded from these requirements, and the law appropriates $15,415 to the Department of Regulatory Agencies.
Patients prescribed non-opioid alternatives for acute or chronic pain will see their out-of-pocket copays, deductibles, and approval hurdles capped to match equivalent opioid prescriptions, altering coverage terms for health plan members across the state.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
health insurance carrier
Carriers must align prior authorization, step therapy, and cost-sharing rules for non-opioid pain drugs to match opioid standards.
health benefit plan members
Members enrolled in individual, small group, and large employer plans gain guaranteed access to at least one non-opioid pain management alternative with capped cost-sharing.
state employees
The state employee health benefit plan is excluded from the requirements of the act.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do health plans have to comply with these non-opioid pain drug rules?
Are state employees covered under this new insurance requirement?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
18 actions- Jun 3, 2026Office of the GovernorEnrolledGovernor Signed
- May 22, 2026SenateFloorSigned by the President of the Senate
- May 22, 2026HouseFloorSigned by the Speaker of the House
- May 22, 2026Office of the GovernorEnrolledSent to the Governor
- May 8, 2026SenateSenate Considered House Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass
- May 6, 2026HouseFloorHouse Third Reading Passed with Amendments - Floor
Show 12 earlier actions
- May 5, 2026HouseHouse Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee
- May 5, 2026HouseHouse Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - No Amendments
- May 5, 2026HouseHouse Second Reading Special Order - Lost with Amendments - Committee
- May 1, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole
- Apr 22, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Unamended to Appropriations
- Apr 20, 2026SenateFloorSenate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments
- Apr 20, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced In House - Assigned to Health & Human Services
- Apr 17, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole
- Apr 17, 2026SenateSenate Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee
- Apr 8, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Amended to Appropriations
- Apr 2, 2026SenateSenate Committee on Health & Human Services Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only
- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced In Senate - Assigned to Health & Human Services
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Voting Record
Refer Senate Bill 26-006, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole.
Total
7
- Yes
- 6
- No
- 1
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Show 5 earlier roll calls
Refer Senate Bill 26-006 to the Committee on Appropriations.
Total
7
- Yes
- 3
- No
- 4
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Refer Senate Bill 26-006 to the Committee of the Whole.
Total
7
- Yes
- 7
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Adopt amendment L.004 (Attachment E).
Total
7
- Yes
- 6
- No
- 1
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment D).
Total
7
- Yes
- 6
- No
- 1
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Refer Senate Bill 26-006, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations.
Total
7
- Yes
- 6
- No
- 1
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 12 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Division of Insurance Funding
The bill explicitly allocates a specific appropriation of $15,415 to the department of regulatory agencies for implementation by the division of insurance.
Connected Entities
Sources
leg.colorado.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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