New Jersey 222nd Legislature Status: Introduced Bipartisan · 7 D · 3 R cosponsors

S 2918 — Requires prescription drug coverage for serious mental illness without prior authorization or utilization management, including step therapy.

Last action — TRANS SHH

  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed General Assembly
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced January 13, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 34% · moderate confidence

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 10 sponsors

    2 primary, 8 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (7 D · 3 R) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

This bill requires coverage for prescription drugs related to serious mental illness without prior authorization.

The legislation mandates that insurance providers cover prescription drugs for serious mental illnesses without any pre-approval processes. This aims to improve access to necessary medications for those affected.

What this means for you
  • Healthcare: This means healthcare providers can prescribe necessary medications without waiting for insurance approvals, potentially improving patient care.

Summary

Serious mental illness-req prescription drug coverage w/o prior authorization

Bill Text

  • Introduced View text Current html January 07, 2026

How this bill changes current law

1 change Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill amends 1 section(s) of the New Jersey statutes: N.J.S.A. 26:2S-10.8.

  • N.J.S.A. 26:2S-10.8

    "Serious mental illness" means the following psychiatric illnesses as defined in the most current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: (1) schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorders including bipolar and depressive, and bipolar disorders including hypomanic, manic, depressive, and mixed; (2) major depressive disorders, whether a single episode or recurrent, including, but not limited to, any major depressive disorder with peripartum onset; and (3) post-traumatic stress disorder. g. (1) A carrier shall provide coverage for a prescription drug prescribed for serious mental illness to covered persons without the imposition of any prior authorization or other utilization management requirements, including, but not limited to, a step therapy protocol , if the prescriber is: (a) a psychiatrist; or (b) an obstetrician/gynecologist, during the postpartum period. (2) If a person has been stable and appropriately treated for a serious mental illness using a drug prescribed by a psychiatrist or an obstetrician/gynecologist for a period of six months, another prescriber may continue prescribing that drug without the imposition of any prior authorization or other utilization management requirements. (3) The provisions of this subsection shall only apply to persons who are 18 years of age or older .

    amended

Action History

  1. TRANS SHH

  2. INT 1RS REF SCM

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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2 sponsors · 8 co-sponsors · 110 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (8)

Not signed on (110)

110 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 110 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

healthcare health-insurance
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 2918 do?
Serious mental illness-req prescription drug coverage w/o prior authorization
Who sponsors S 2918?
S 2918 is sponsored by Mukherji, Raj (Democrat), Gopal, Vin (Democrat), Johnson, Gordon M. (Democrat), Bramnick, Jon M. (Republican), Ruiz, M. Teresa (Democrat), Burgess, Renee C. (Democrat), Steinhardt, Douglas J. (Republican), Wimberly, Benjie E. (Democrat), Bucco, Anthony M. (Republican), and McKnight, Angela V. (Democrat).
What is the current status of S 2918?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced January 13, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 2918?
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