Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Rounds Up Prescription Drug News

The following is a round-up of recent prescription drug news in five states:

• Arizona: State Sen. Chris Cummiskey (D) on April 3 failed to attach to another prescription drug bill a measure that would have "pressured" drug companies to offer the state the same discounts on drugs that they offer federal agencies, effectively killing the amendment. However, the other bill, which would create a statewide Web site listing available discounts on prescription drugs, received preliminary approval from the state Senate and could be sent to Gov. Jane Hull (R) next week (Bach, Arizona Republic, 4/4).
• Kansas: State Senate leaders on April 3 outlined a bipartisan proposal that would expand an existing prescription drug assistance program for seniors, the AP/Wichita Eagle reports. The proposal would increase funding for the program from $1.2 million per year to $20 million per year and would expand the program from 1,000 to 30,000 residents, according to state Senate President Dave Kerr (R). Residents in households earning less than 200% of the federal poverty level, or $23,220 for a couple, would be eligible to have drug costs covered under the program (AP/Wichita Eagle, 4/4).
• Louisiana: The state Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee on April 3 approved a bill (SB 66) that would keep secret the discounts the state receives from drug companies in return for including their medications on the state's Medicaid formulary, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports. Under the bill, the public would be informed of only the "bottom-line discount payments" but not the amount of rebates each company pays. State Sen. Tom Schedler (R) said it is necessary to keep the amount of such rebates secret to allow the state "to get the best possible deal." The bill now goes to the full Senate (Schuler, Baton Rouge Advocate, 4/4).
• Maryland: The state Senate on April 3 approved a bill that would require the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to negotiate rebates on prescription drugs with pharmaceutical companies and set up a formulary of those drugs for Medicaid beneficiaries, the Baltimore Sun reports. Under the formulary plan, estimated to save the state about $30 million per year, doctors who wished to prescribe drugs not on the list would have to seek state approval. The proposal is now in the state House of Delegates (Craig, Baltimore Sun, 4/4).
• Nevada: More than 600 senior citizens are on a waiting list to enroll in Senior Rx, the state's prescription drug assistance program for low-income seniors, the Las Vegas Sun reports. The program reached its enrollment cap of 7,500 participants in March. According to Jane Smedes, the management analyst in charge of the program, the state still is accepting applications but will not enroll any additional seniors in the program, even if a current beneficiary dies or ends his or her participation. Senior Rx is funded through the state's share of the national tobacco settlement, and Smedes said state officials are waiting to see how much the next installment will be before enrolling any more seniors (Las Vegas Sun, 4/3).