STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 1419
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2025
RE: S.B. No. 1279
S.D. 2
H.D. 1
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Madame:
Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 1279, S.D. 2, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PHARMACISTS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The
purpose of this measure is to authorize
pharmacists under contract with covered entities under the federal 340B Drug
Pricing Program to supervise the filling or receipt of a prescription via
telehealth under certain circumstances.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; Hawai‘i
Primary Care Association; American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network; Grassroot
Institute of Hawaii; AlohaCare; Alzheimer's Association-Hawaii; AARP Hawai‘i;
and one individual. Your Committee
received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Board of Pharmacy;
Rainbow Pharmacy Lanai; and Moloka‘i Drugs, Inc.
Your Committee finds
that under the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program (340B Program), certain health
care organizations are able to receive discounts on prescription drugs. However, in order to receive these discounts,
the health care organization must either operate a pharmacy at the location
where the prescriptions are filled for distribution or contract with a
participating third-party pharmacy to fill and distribute the medications. Your Committee further finds that some
neighbor island health care organizations are too small to make employing a
full-time pharmacists cost effective. As
a result, if the retail pharmacies in those areas choose to not participate in
the 340B Program, these health care organizations must contract with off-island
pharmacies to fill prescriptions, resulting in delays in patient care. Your Committee believes that authorizing
pharmacists to supervise the filling and receipt of prescriptions via telehealth,
under certain circumstances, will improve health outcomes in the State's
medically underserved areas and ensure patients receive their prescription
medication in a timely fashion. Your
Committee wishes to encourage community health centers to engage with area
pharmacies utilizing the 340B Program to the fullest extent possible to offer
in-person pharmacy services.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and
(2) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1279, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1279, S.D. 2, 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,
|
|
|
____________________________ GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair |