Nevada Revised Statutes 695B.19197 – Required provision concerning coverage for certain drugs and services related to substance use disorder and opioid use disorder; reimbursement of pharmacists and pharmacies for certain services; prohibited acts
1. A hospital or medical services corporation that offers or issues a policy of health insurance shall include in the policy coverage for:
Terms Used In Nevada Revised Statutes 695B.19197
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Medical services: means the furnishing or providing of any or all of the following:
(a) Medical or surgical services, in or out of a hospital, by a physician licensed to practice under the laws of Nevada. See Nevada Revised Statutes 695B.030
- physician: means a person who engages in the practice of medicine, including osteopathy and homeopathy. See Nevada Revised Statutes 0.040
(a) All drugs approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration to support safe withdrawal from substance use disorder, including, without limitation, lofexidine.
(b) All drugs approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration to provide medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, including, without limitation, buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone.
(c) The services described in NRS 639.28079 when provided by a pharmacist or pharmacy that participates in the network plan of the hospital or medical services corporation. The Commissioner shall adopt regulations governing the provision of reimbursement for such services.
(d) Any service for the treatment of substance use disorder provided by a provider of primary care if the service is covered when provided by a specialist and:
(1) The service is within the scope of practice of the provider of primary care; or
(2) The provider of primary care is capable of providing the service safely and effectively in consultation with a specialist and the provider engages in such consultation.
2. A hospital or medical services corporation that offers or issues a policy of health insurance shall reimburse a pharmacist or pharmacy that participates in the network plan of the hospital or medical services corporation for the services described in NRS 639.28079 at a rate equal to the rate of reimbursement provided to a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse for similar services.
3. A hospital or medical services corporation shall provide the coverage required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection 1 regardless of whether the drug is included in the formulary of the hospital or medical services corporation.
4. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a hospital or medical services corporation shall not subject the benefits required by paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subsection 1 to medical management techniques, other than step therapy. A hospital or medical services corporation may subject the benefits required by paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection 1 to other reasonable medical management techniques when the benefits are provided by a pharmacist in accordance with NRS 639.28079.
5. A hospital or medical services corporation shall not:
(a) Limit the covered amount of a drug described in paragraph (a) or (b) of subsection 1; or
(b) Refuse to cover a drug described in paragraph (a) or (b) of subsection 1 because the drug is dispensed by a pharmacy through mail order service.
6. A hospital or medical services corporation shall ensure that the benefits required by subsection 1 are made available to an insured through a provider of health care who participates in the network plan of the hospital or medical services corporation.
7. A policy of health insurance subject to the provisions of this chapter that is delivered, issued for delivery or renewed on or after January 1, 2024, has the legal effect of including the coverage required by subsection 1, and any provision of the policy that conflicts with the provisions of this section is void.
8. As used in this section:
(a) ’Medical management technique’ means a practice which is used to control the cost or use of health care services or prescription drugs. The term includes, without limitation, the use of step therapy, prior authorization and categorizing drugs and devices based on cost, type or method of administration.
(b) ’Network plan’ means a policy of health insurance offered by a hospital or medical services corporation under which the financing and delivery of medical care, including items and services paid for as medical care, are provided, in whole or in part, through a defined set of providers under contract with the hospital or medical services corporation. The term does not include an arrangement for the financing of premiums.
(c) ’Primary care’ means the practice of family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology and midwifery.
(d) ’Provider of health care’ has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 629.031.