STAND. COM. REP. NO.  184-18

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2018

 

RE:   H.B. No. 2145

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health & Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 2145 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MEDICATION SYNCHRONIZATION,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to facilitate medication synchronization for efficient medication refilling by requiring health insurance plans that provide prescription drug benefits to apply prorated daily cost-sharing rates for prescriptions dispensed in less than thirty-day supplies by pharmacies.  

 

     The Hawaii Medical Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Walgreen Co., and a concerned individual supported this measure.  The Department of Health, Board of Pharmacy, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and Hawaii Medical Service Association provided comments.   

 

     Your Committee respectfully requests that the Board of Pharmacy and the Insurance Commissioner collaborate on and provide substantive amendments to include in this measure and work to address issues such as how medications in unbreakable packaging can be prorated.


 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Removing language requiring a prescriber or pharmacist to determine whether partial medication fills or refills are in a patient's best interest; and

 

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health & Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2145, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2145, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health & Human Services,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair