Nevada Senate Bill SB177

Nevada 2023 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/20/23
• Refer: 2/20/23
• Report Pass: 4/6/23
• Engrossed: 4/19/23
• Refer: 4/19/23
• Report Pass: 5/18/23
• Enrolled: 5/26/23
• Chaptered: 5/31/23
• Passed: 5/31/23

Caption

Imposes requirements governing Medicaid coverage of certain antipsychotic or anticonvulsant drugs. (BDR 38-82)

Impact

The bill's passage, effective from July 1, 2023, directly modifies the existing framework for Medicaid drug coverage, mandating that any health maintenance organization must cover any typical or atypical antipsychotic or anticonvulsant medication not listed as preferred when previous medications have failed. This requirement aims to enhance patient care and ensure access to potentially life-saving medications for individuals enrolled in Medicaid.

Summary

Senate Bill No. 177 aims to impose specific requirements regarding how Medicaid and health maintenance organizations must handle coverage for certain antipsychotic and anticonvulsant medications. The bill codifies existing practices that require coverage for these medications under certain circumstances, particularly when there is a demonstrated therapeutic failure of the preferred drugs on the Medicaid formulary. This places a new obligation on managed care organizations to automatically cover these drugs, ensuring recipients have access to necessary treatments when previous options fail.

Contention

While the bill has received support for enhancing drug coverage rights for Medicaid recipients, it could also lead to contention over the regulatory responsibilities assigned to health maintenance organizations. The bill allows the state’s Commissioner of Insurance to suspend or revoke the certificates of authority of organizations that fail to comply with this new requirement. Critics may argue that imposing such stringent regulations could create operational burdens for healthcare providers, particularly in managing their formularies and ensuring compliance with state regulations.