SECTION 8MM. Pain management access plans

(a) Any contract between a subscriber and the corporation under an individual or group hospital service plan that is delivered, issued or renewed within the commonwealth shall develop a plan to provide adequate coverage and access to a broad spectrum of pain management services, including, but not limited to, those that serve as alternatives to opioid prescribing, in accordance with guidelines developed by the division of insurance.

(b) The plan shall be subject to approval and shall be a component of carrier accreditation by the division of insurance pursuant to section 2 of chapter 176O. In its review, the division shall consider the adequacy of access to a broad spectrum of pain management services and any carrier policies that may create unduly preferential coverage to prescribing opioids without other pain management modalities.

(c) Carriers shall distribute educational materials to providers within their networks about the pain management access plan and make information about their plans publicly available on their websites.