Report Title:

Appropriation; Health; Pharmacy Services and Supplies

Description:

Appropriates funds to the DOH for federally qualified health centers and the Medicine Bank to provide pharmacy services and supplies to low-income patients.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1058

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR Pharmacy services and supplies.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Access to prescription drugs is essential to the restoration and maintenance of health, and is as significant as access to regular medical care. For some individuals, access to medical care is of little value unless those individuals also have access to the drugs prescribed to them.

Federally qualified health centers across Hawaii serve nearly fifty thousand residents annually who are below two hundred per cent of the poverty level and have no prescription drug coverage. This segment of Hawaii's population is disproportionately affected with chronic diseases, such as hypertension, asthma, and diabetes, which routinely require continuing medication and supplies. The Hawaii Rx plus program, the medicare drug benefit program, and other notable public efforts do not meet the needs of these residents because they cannot afford the patient co-payment that accompanies such programs.

Federally qualified health centers have very cost-effective means of procuring prescription drugs and supplies for these low-income patients through programs such as the federal drug pricing program, 340B program, and pharmaceutical manufacturer's patient assistant programs. A small public investment in such measures will yield a disproportionately great increase in low-income patients' access to necessary prescription drugs and supplies.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to:

(1) Subsidize the cost of purchasing pharmaceutical products via the federal drug pricing or 340B program by federally qualified health centers on behalf of their low-income patients;

(2) Subsidize services provided by federally qualified health centers to procure free prescription drugs for their low-income patients via pharmaceutical manufacturer's patient assistant programs; and

(3) Support the Medicine Bank in its collection and distribution of free pharmaceutical samples and supplies, and its provision of clinical pharmacy consultation to federally qualified health centers.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1,400,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005-2006, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, as follows:

(1) $1,000,000 to subsidize the cost of purchasing pharmaceutical products via the federal drug pricing or 340B program by federally qualified health centers on behalf of their low-income patients;

(2) $200,000 to subsidize services provided by federally qualified health centers to procure free prescription drugs for their low-income patients via pharmaceutical manufacturer's patient assistant programs; and

(3) $200,000 to support the Medicine Bank in its collection and distribution of free pharmaceutical samples and supplies, and its provision of clinical pharmacy consultation to federally qualified health centers.

SECTION 3. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2005.

INTRODUCED BY:

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