CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO.169
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2005
RE: H.B. No. 1051
H.D. 2
S.D. 2
C.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2005
State of Hawaii
Honorable Robert Bunda
President of the Senate
Twenty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2005
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1051, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS,"
having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.
The purpose of this bill is to facilitate access for Medicaid patients to receive prescribed psychotropic medication, as well as medication for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis C, and transplant immunosuppressives by:
(1) Prohibiting the Department of Human Services (DHS) from restricting or limiting payment for psychotropic medication that has been prescribed by a medical professional licensed in Hawaii;
(2) Directing DHS to presume eligibility for Medicaid assistance for individuals in need of emergency psychiatric or psychological services, and to reimburse costs during the period of presumptive eligibility;
(3) Providing a pre-authorization exemption for psychotropic medication prescribed to an individual who is Medicaid eligible, or presumed to be so;
(4) Providing an appropriation to facilitate the fulfillment of the intent of this bill; and
(5) Providing preauthorization exemption for medication prescribed to an individual who is Medicaid eligible, and diagnosed as suffering from HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C, or who is a patient in need of transplant immunosuppressives.
Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:
(1) Removing all reference to psychotropic medication and presumptive eligibility;
(2) Limiting its scope to Medicaid recipient patients suffering from HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C, or who patients in need of transplant immunosuppressives;
(3) Specifying that medication prescribed under the preauthorization exemption must be eligible for the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Rebates Act in addition to being approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration;
(4) Excluding the application of the preauthorization exemption QUEST medical plans;
(5) Removing the appropriation;
(6) Changing the effective date to upon its approval; and
(7) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1051, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1051, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:
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ON THE PART OF THE SENATE |
ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE |
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____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair |
____________________________ DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Co-Chair |
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____________________________ RON MENOR, Co-Chair |
____________________________ KENNETH HIRAKI, Co-Chair |
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____________________________ SHAN S. TSUTSUI, Co-Chair |
____________________________ JON RIKI KARAMATSU, Co-Chair |
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