HB 66 - AS INTRODUCED
2023 SESSION
23-0196
10/08
HOUSE BILL 66
SPONSORS: Rep. Merchant, Sull. 6; Rep. Nagel, Belk. 6
COMMITTEE: Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs
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ANALYSIS
This bill establishes a commission to study non-pharmacological treatment options to treat patients with chronic pain and the creation of a pilot program that supports and encourages non-pharmacological treatment options.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
23-0196
10/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Legislative Findings. It is believed that the most effective treatment of acute, chronic, or end of life pain is a patient-centered, comprehensive, multi-modal approach in which all modalities, allopathic and non-allopathic, have a potential role, including opioids when necessary. The general court recognizes that no single modality is universally effective in managing pain, that all help some but not all. One of the causes of the opioid crisis was the unsubstantiated and misguided belief that opioids, by themselves, have the ability to resolve pain. Another cause was the failure of the health care system to provide access to a broad variety of allopathic and non-allopathic therapies in an integrative, multi-modal manner. The general court intends that the commission established by this act is charged with exploring and creating public policies which will increase access to a variety of therapies in a cost-effective, clinically effective, comprehensive manner as an alternative to or adjunct to other allopathic therapies including opioid therapy.
2 New Section; Commission Established; Non-pharmacological Treatment Options for Chronic Pain. Amend RSA 318-B by inserting after section 42 the following new section:
318-B:42-a Commission Established; Non-pharmacological Treatment Options for Chronic Pain.
I. There is established a commission to study non-pharmacological treatment options to treat patients with chronic pain and the creation of a pilot program that supports and encourages non-pharmacological treatment options.
II Members of the commission shall include the following:
(a) Three members of the house of representatives, one from the house health, human services, and elderly affairs committee, one from the house commerce committee, and one at large, all appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
(b) One member of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate.
(c) The commissioner of the department of administrative services, or designee.
(d) The commissioner of the insurance department, or designee.
(e) The commissioner of department of health and human services, or designee.
(f) A board-certified primary care physician appointed by the New Hampshire Medical Society.
(g) A naturopathic doctor appointed by the New Hampshire Association of Naturopathic Doctors.
(h) A behavioral clinician appointed by the New Hampshire Behavioral Health Association.
(i) An acupuncturist appointed by the New Hampshire Acupuncture and Asian Medicine Association.
(j) A chiropractor appointed by the New Hampshire Chiropractic Society.
(k) A nurse practitioner appointed by the New Hampshire Nurse Practitioner Association.
(l) A board-certified pain management specialist appointed by the New Hampshire Medical Society.
(m) A patient with chronic pain appointed by the governor.
(n) One member appointed by the America’s Health Insurance Plans.
(o) One member who has recovered from opioid addition appointed by the governor.
(p) One member of a managed care organization under contract with the state Medicaid program appointed by the governor.
(q) One member appointed by the New Hampshire chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons
III. Legislative members of the commission shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the commission. The commission’s study shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(a) Design of a pilot program with goals that are patient centric, provider friendly, that uses existing provider networks, establishes standard reimbursement rates, and maximizes patient self-referrals with no or minimal cost increases.
(b) Research creation of such a pilot program with the New Hampshire Medicaid program, the New Hampshire state employee self-funded health insurance program, or with other entities supported with state funds.
(c) Investigate overall cost of such a program, including eligibility status for National Institutes of Health-National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health supported grants or funding opportunities.
(d) Research ways to enhance awareness of non-pharmacological treatment options through educational programs for primary care providers to enhance collaboration and integration of care between all providers who collectively assist in treating chronic pain.
(e) Design a process to collect useable, meaningful data over 3 to 5 years to evaluate meeting the goals of the program design, specifically whether the pilot program helps patients to reduce pain while safely improving functional outcomes and quality of care for patients with chronic pain, increase use of non-pharmacological treatments options, while maintaining affordability by constraining cost or with minimal increases in overall costs to treat chronic pain.
IV. The commission may solicit input from any person or entity the commission deems relevant to its study.
V. The members of the commission shall elect a chairperson from among the members. The first meeting of the commission shall be called by the first-named house member. The first meeting of the commission shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Seven members of the commission shall constitute a quorum.
VI. The commission shall submit a report including its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation on or before December 1, 2023 to the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, the house clerk, and the governor.
3 Prospective Repeal. RSA 318-B:42-a, relative to a commission to study non-pharmacological treatment options for chronic pain, is repealed.
4 Effective Date.
I. Section 3 of this act shall take effect December 1, 2023.
II. The remainder of this act shall take effect upon its passage.