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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri House Bill 1966 Prohibits Health Plans from Preferring Opioids Over Nonopioid Drugs for Acute Pain
Last action · January 29, 2026: HCS Reported Do Pass (H)Sponsors: Tara Peters and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
Missouri House Bill 1966 prohibits s from denying coverage for nonopioid prescription drugs for , requiring patients to try opioids first, or charging higher cost-sharing for nonopioids starting January 1, 2027.
Patients seeking treatment for can access nonopioid alternatives without facing coverage denials, step-therapy mandates favoring opioids, or higher out-of-pocket costs compared to opioid prescriptions under covered s.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
enrollees
Enrollees covered by health benefit plans gain access to nonopioid prescription drugs for acute pain without being subjected to mandatory prior opioid trials or higher cost-sharing.
health benefit plans
Health benefit plans must adjust their coverage, formulary rules, and cost-sharing structures to ensure nonopioid prescription drugs are not treated less favorably than opioids.
Key Facts
- Health benefit plans are prohibited from denying coverage of a nonopioid prescription drug prescribed for acute pain in favor of an opioid prescription drug.
- Health benefit plans cannot require an enrollee to try an opioid prescription drug before covering a prescribed nonopioid alternative.
- Health benefit plans are prohibited from requiring a higher level of cost-sharing for nonopioid prescription drugs than for opioid prescription drugs.
- Acute pain is defined as pain resulting from disease, accidental or intentional trauma, or other causes that a health care provider expects to last 30 days or fewer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does HB 1966 require health insurance plans to do?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
8 actions- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Reported Do Pass (H)
- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Voted Do Pass (H)
- Jan 29, 2026HouseExecutive Session Completed (H)
- Jan 22, 2026HousePublic Hearing Completed (H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Health and Mental Health(H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
Show 2 earlier actions
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 1, 2025HouseIntroducedPrefiled (H)
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 →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
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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