Arkansas | NonOpioidChoices

State Facts

160

Deaths or 41.2% of total overdose deaths involved opioids in 2024.¹

923,690

Claims or 5.1% of all Medicare Part D Claims were for prescription opioids in 2022 – almost twice the National Prescribing Rate.²

71.5

Opioid Prescriptions were written for every 100 persons in Arkansas in 2023 – the highest prescribing rate in the country.³

Download FactSheet

Opioid Settlement Funds

$401,455,058.35

State Spending Recommendation

National approved use: Providing support for non-opioid pain treatment alternatives, including training providers to offer or refer to multi-modal, evidence-informed treatment of pain.

Member & Endorser Footprint

Voices is backed by a broad coalition of organizations across the state united by a shared goal: ensuring patients have access to safe, effective,  and individualized pain management throughout the continuum of care.

Co-Sponsors (119th)

Sen. John Boozman (R-AR)

Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR-3)

2025 Introduced Relevant Legislation

The Pain Relief Parity Act, HB 1186

This legislation requires Arkansas Medicaid to cover non-opioid pain treatments on equal terms with opioids. The bill prohibits disadvantaging or discouraging the use of non-opioid treatments relative to opioids and guarantees immediate coverage upon FDA
approval.

Introduced

01/22/2025

Plan Impact

Medicaid

Learn More

Voices Letters

Voices + Shatterproof HB 1186 Support Letter

Learn More

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2025). Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). Medicare Part D Opioid Prescribing Mapping Tool. https://cms-oeda.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=5390718d875d4c049b1ac5976a9ff083

3. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). Opioid Dispensing Rate Maps. https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/data-research/facts-stats/opioid-dispensing-rate-maps.html