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Read. Follow. Verify.Kansas HB 2364 Prohibits Health Insurers from Requiring Cost-Sharing and Step Therapy for Nonopioid Pain Medications
Last action · April 10, 2026: Died in Senate Committee
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What This Bill Proposed
Health insurers in Kansas are prohibited from requiring cost-sharing, , or for FDA-approved nonopioid pain drugs that are more restrictive than those applied to opioid drugs. The bill applies to the Medicaid program, the state children's health insurance program, and the state employee health benefits plan, including managed care organizations. The measure ultimately died in the Senate Committee.
Changes insurance coverage rules for public program enrollees and state employees by forbidding health plans from placing nonopioid pain medications on higher cost-sharing tiers or enforcing stricter approval hurdles than opioid alternatives.
- HB 2364 was introduced by the House Committee on Health and Human Services during the 2025-2026 legislative session in Kansas. context
- The bill passed the lower house in February 2026 before ultimately dying in the Senate Committee in April 2026. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Health insurers
Health insurers, including Medicaid programs and state employee health plans, must alter their drug formularies, cost-sharing tiers, and prior authorization rules to ensure nonopioid pain drugs are not disadvantaged relative to opioids.
Prescribers
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
Which health insurance programs are covered under this bill?
Can insurers still require patients to try opioids first before approving nonopioid drugs?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
10 actions- Apr 10, 2026SenateDied in Senate Committee
- Feb 19, 2026SenateCommitteeReferred to Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare
- Feb 18, 2026HouseFloorFinal Action - Passed
- Feb 18, 2026SenateIntroducedReceived and Introduced
- Feb 17, 2026HouseCommittee of the Whole - Now working on
- Feb 17, 2026HouseFloorCommittee of the Whole - Be passed
Show 4 earlier actions
- Feb 10, 2026HouseFloorCommittee Report recommending bill be passed by
- Feb 2, 2026HouseHearing: Monday, February 2, 2026, 1:30 PM — Room 112-N
- Feb 7, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced
- Feb 7, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to House Committee on Health and 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 →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.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Elimination of Step Therapy for Nonopioid Pain Meds
The bill sought to structurally shift public health plan formularies by prohibiting step therapy that forces opioid trials before nonopioid pain treatment coverage.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.kslegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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