Report Title:

Prescription Drug Access Program

THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

150

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting the establishment of a working committee to develop a prescription drug access program for eligible medicare beneficiaries in hawaii.

 

WHEREAS, prescription drugs are an increasingly significant component in modern health care as new medications improve health outcomes and quality of life, replace surgery and other invasive treatments, quicken recovery for patients who receive these treatments, and prevent serious and costly hospitalization; and

WHEREAS, prescription drug prices are rising twice as fast as inflation, with annual percent increases in prescription expenditures surpassing most other aspects of personal health care expenditures in the past decade; and

WHEREAS, one in three Medicare recipients do not have drug coverage; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii's elderly population has been growing and is expected to increase dramatically in the near future with the first baby boomers turning 65 years old in 2011; and

WHEREAS, seniors consume one-third of all prescription drugs, averaging ten prescriptions prescribed per year versus three per year for those under 65, and often live on fixed incomes, yet have minimal drug coverage; and

WHEREAS, an April 2000, study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that fewer employees offer health benefits to future retirees, making declines in drug coverage more likely; and

WHEREAS, rebates are common practice that most, if not all third-party insurers, secure rebates from pharmaceutical manufacturers to bring discounted prices to their members; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-First Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2001, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Health is requested to establish a working committee to develop a prescription drug access program for eligible Medicare beneficiaries in Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working committee shall consist of nine members including:

(1) The Attorney General, or a designated representative;

(2) The Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, or a designated representative;

(3) The Director of Health, or a designated representative;

(4) The Director of Human Services, or a designated representative;

(5) A representative of a health plan;

(6) The State Insurance Commissioner, or a designated representative;

(7) A representative from the Pharmacy Manufacturers Association;

(8) A member of the public who represents the interests of senior citizens; and

(9) A pharmacist, who:

(A) Is licensed to practice pharmacy and is engaged in the practice of retail pharmacy in

Hawaii;

(B) Possesses at least five years of experience in Hawaii as a licensed pharmacist; and

(C) Is resident of Hawaii;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working committee shall address rebates as an integral part of the prescription drug access program and also review pricing and affordability information; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working committee report on its findings to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2002; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, the Attorney General, the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Director of Human Services, Insurance Commission, the Pharmacy Manufacturers Association, and the Hawaii Pharmacists Association.