CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 83

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: S.B. No. 1245

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 1245, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PHARMACISTS,"

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 measure is to, beginning January 1, 2026:

(1) Prohibit the denial of coverage and mandate reimbursement for services provided by registered pharmacists practicing within their scope of practice by private health plans in the State;

(2) Clarify that participation in a policy, contract, plan, or agreement with coverage for prescription drug benefits does not satisfy the requirement that contacted registered pharmacists be included in a network of participating providers;

(3) Prohibit the denial of a registered pharmacist's ability to contract if standard credentialing requirements are met, with an exemption;

(4) Specify that if policies, contracts, plans, or agreements delegate credentialing to health care facilities, then the credentialing of registered pharmacists contracted or employed by those facilities shall be accepted; and

(5) Mandate reimbursement for services provided by registered pharmacists practicing within their scope of practice by public health plans upon approval of the Hawaii Medicaid State Plan by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Your Committee on Conference finds that pharmacists are among the most trusted and accessible health care professionals, with about ninety percent of Americans living within five miles of a pharmacy, and pharmacists can provide high quality services, particularly related to the safe and effective use of medications. Your Committee on Conference further finds that these pharmacist services are routinely provided in select in-patient, out-patient, and community or retail settings in the State, but because pharmacists are unable to be directly reimbursed by health plans for many of these services, building budget models that can sustainably pay for and expand these needed services are a challenge. This measure improves reimbursement for services rendered by registered pharmacists under certain conditions to safely provide certain health care services cost-effectively and meet the health care needs of the State's residents.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Reverting to the language of the H.D. 1 version of this measure to:

(A) Specify that the provisions of this measure applicable to health insurers, mutual benefit societies, and health maintenance organizations apply to policies, contracts, plans, or agreements delivered or issued for delivery on or after July 1, 2026, rather than January 1, 2026; and

(B) Require policies, contracts, plans, or agreements by health insurers, mutual benefit societies, and health maintenance organizations to recognize pharmacists as participating providers;

(2) Deleting language that would have prohibited the denial of coverage for benefits for health care services provided by a registered pharmacist if certain conditions are met;

(3) Deleting language that would have provided that the participation of a registered pharmacist in a policy, contract, plan, or agreement that includes coverage for prescription drug benefits does not satisfy the requirements that health insurers, mutual benefit societies, and health maintenance organizations include contracted registered pharmacists in their networks of participating providers;

(4) Deleting language that would have prohibited insurers, mutual benefit societies, and health maintenance organizations from denying the ability for a registered pharmacist to contract with those entities if standard credentialing requirements are met, except for vertically integrated networks;

(5) Deleting language that would have specified that insurers, mutual benefit societies, and health maintenance organizations that delegate credentialing agreements to health care facilities shall accept credentialing of registered pharmacists employed or contracted by those facilities; and

(6) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purposes;

(7) Making it effective upon its approval; and

(8) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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 S.B. No. 1245, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1245, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ GREGG TAKAYAMA Co-Chair	____________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA Chair
____________________________ SCOT Z. MATAYOSHI Co-Chair	____________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE Co-Chair