The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri Senate Bill 1449 prohibits health plans from favoring opioids over nonopioid alternatives for acute pain
Last action · February 5, 2026: Second Read and Referred S Insurance and Banking CommitteeSponsor: Nick Schroer
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What This Bill Would Do
Health benefit plans in Missouri are prohibited from denying coverage for nonopioid prescription drugs in favor of opioids, requiring step therapy with opioids, or charging higher for nonopioids when prescribed for . This requirement applies to health benefit plans delivered, issued, continued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027.
Enrollees seeking treatment for gain guaranteed insurance access to nonopioid medications without having to try an opioid first or pay higher out-of-pocket costs.
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.
enrollee
Enrollees prescribed nonopioid medications for acute pain are guaranteed coverage without having to try an opioid first or pay higher cost-sharing.
health benefit plan
Health benefit plans are prohibited from denying coverage for nonopioid drugs, requiring opioid step therapy, or charging higher cost-sharing for nonopioids.
health care professional
Licensed health care professionals prescribing nonopioid medications for acute pain operate under a ban on insurer restrictions such as step therapy and coverage denials.
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
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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
3 actions- Feb 5, 2026SenateFloorSecond Read and Referred S Insurance and Banking Committee
- Jan 7, 2026SenateIntroducedS First Read
- Dec 16, 2025SenatePrefiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. The text on record is the 5950S.01I - Introduced version. 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
www.senate.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
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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