CONGRESS FOR VOTERS

Thomas Tillis (R-NC)

Alternatives to PAIN Act

S. 475 · Senate bill Health

A Republican bill with 18 Democratic cosponsors · See all 36 cosponsors

Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

In committee

Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.

The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.

Its path through Congress

  1. Introduced
  2. In Committee

What this bill would do

The "Alternatives to Prevent Addiction In the Nation Act" seeks to amend the Social Security Act regarding Medicare Part D. It aims to ensure easier access to specific non-opioid pain management drugs. For plan years starting January 1, 2026, the bill changes how these drugs are covered by removing deductibles and placing them on the lowest cost-sharing tier. The bill also targets specific drugs approved by the FDA for acute or postoperative pain that do not act on opioid receptors. Additionally, it prohibits insurance plans from using step therapy or prior authorization for these specific drugs.

Yes· 3 of 8

  • Scored +7

    Does this lower the price of prescription medicines?

    The bill lowers out-of-pocket costs for specific non-opioid pain management drugs by removing deductibles and placing them on the lowest cost-sharing tier.

  • Scored +6

    Does this make health care easier to get in general?

    The bill increases healthcare access by prohibiting prior authorization and step therapy for qualifying non-opioid pain management drugs.

  • Scored +5

    Does this do more about addiction and overdose deaths?

    The bill addresses the opioid crisis by providing financial and administrative incentives to use non-opioid alternatives for acute pain.

The opposite

No question was scored the opposite.