# Plain Language Summary: Non-Opioid Directive Act

This bill creates a legal form that lets people tell doctors they don't want to be prescribed or given opioid painkillers. Think of it like a "do not resuscitate" order, but for opioids. If you fill out this form, you're instructing healthcare providers and emergency responders that you don't want opioids for pain management—including after surgery—unless it's truly a life-or-death emergency.

The government would create a standardized form and make it available for free on the Department of Health and Human Services website. Insurance companies would be required to give this form to their customers and ask them every year whether they want to use it. Once you sign the form, it gets added to your medical records and shared with your doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies so everyone knows your preference. You can change your mind anytime and revoke the form whenever you want, in any way you can communicate that decision.

There are a few important exceptions built into the law. Doctors can still give you opioids during surgery itself or in genuine emergencies if they believe it's medically necessary to save your life or treat severe acute pain. They can also give you opioids if you're being treated for opioid addiction or if you're in hospice care. The law protects doctors from being sued or disciplined if they follow your directive in good faith—they won't face legal trouble for refusing to prescribe opioids to someone who has filed this form.

This bill is aimed at people who want to avoid opioids because of addiction concerns, side effects, or personal preference. It gives patients more control over their pain management while still allowing emergency medical care when absolutely necessary.

Non-Opioid Directive Act

McKinley, David B.

Non-Opioid Directive Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a non-opioid pain management directive. This is a form that an individual may use to inform health care providers of the individual's choice to avoid opioid medications for pain management. The bill also sets out requirements for the execution, use, and revocation of these forms. HHS must make the form available on its website, and health insurers must make it available to their plan enrollees. Insurers must also share an enrollee's choice about opioid treatment with health care providers during pre-authorization processes. The bill allows health care providers to override a patient's form in specified circumstances. It also extends liability protections for providers who reasonably and in good faith administer or prescribe an opioid to a patient with an executed form in place.