Louisiana 2014 2014 Regular Session

Louisiana Senate Bill SB182 Introduced / Bill

                    SLS 14RS-568	ORIGINAL
Page 1 of 2
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
Regular Session, 2014
SENATE BILL NO. 182
BY SENATOR MILLS 
HEALTH/ACC INSURANCE. Provides relative to health insurance policies providing
prescription drug coverage.  (8/1/14)
AN ACT1
To enact R.S. 22:1857.1, relative to health insurance policies providing prescription drug2
coverage; to provide for the application of a prorated daily cost-sharing rate; to3
prohibit the denial of coverage for dispensing any drug prescribed for the treatment4
of a chronic illness made in accordance with a synchronized plan among the insured,5
a practitioner, and a pharmacist; to prohibit the use of certain payment structures;6
and to provide for related matters.7
Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:8
Section 1.  R.S. 22:1857.1 is hereby enacted to read as follows:9
ยง1857.1.  Medication synchronization and dispensing fee standardization10
A. Any individual or group health insurance policy providing11
prescription drug coverage shall permit the application of a prorated daily cost-12
sharing rate to prescriptions that are dispensed by a network pharmacy for less13
than a thirty-day supply if the physician or pharmacist indicates the fill or refill14
is in the best interest of the patient or is for the purpose of synchronizing the15
patient's existing medications.16
B. Any individual or group health insurance policy shall provide17 SB NO. 182
SLS 14RS-568	ORIGINAL
Page 2 of 2
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
coverage for the dispensing of any drug prescribed for the treatment of a1
chronic illness that is made in accordance with a plan among the insured, a2
practitioner and a pharmacist to synchronize the refilling of multiple3
prescriptions for the insured.4
C. It shall be unlawful for an individual or group health insurance5
policy providing prescription drug coverage to use payment structures6
incorporating prorated dispensing fees determined by calculation of a day's7
supply of medication dispensed.  Dispensing fees shall be determined exclusively8
by the total number of prescriptions dispensed.9
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Cheryl Horne.
DIGEST
Mills (SB 182)
Proposed law requires any individual or group health insurance policy providing prescription
drug coverage to permit the application of prorated daily cost-sharing rates to prescriptions
that are dispensed by a network pharmacy for less than a thirty-day supply if the physician
or pharmacist indicates the fill or refill is in the best interest of the patient or is for the
purpose of synchronizing the patient's existing medications.
Proposed law requires insurance coverage for the dispensing of any drug prescribed for the
treatment of a chronic illness made in accordance with a plan among the insured,
practitioner, and pharmacist to synchronize the refilling of multiple prescriptions for the
insured.
Proposed law prohibits the use of payment structures for prescription drugs incorporating
prorated dispensing fees. Requires dispensing fees to be determined exclusively by the total
number of prescriptions dispensed.
Effective August 1, 2014.
(Adds R.S.22:1857.1)