House File 506 - Introduced



                                  HOUSE FILE       
                                  BY  FORD


    Passed House, Date               Passed Senate,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act providing for prescription drug retail price comparison.
  2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  3 TLSB 2791HH 82
  4 pf/je/5

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 155A.3, Code 2007, is amended by adding
  1  2 the following new subsection:
  1  3    NEW SUBSECTION.  7A.  "Current usual and customary retail
  1  4 price" means the actual price that a pharmacy charges a retail
  1  5 purchaser without prescription drug coverage for a
  1  6 prescription drug at the listed dosage, and does not include
  1  7 discounts, special promotions, or other programs initiated to
  1  8 reduce prices for product costs available to the general
  1  9 public or to a special population.
  1 10    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  155A.42  PRESCRIPTION DRUG RETAIL
  1 11 PRICE COMPARISON.
  1 12    1.  The office of the attorney general shall create and
  1 13 operate a prescription drug retail price comparison internet
  1 14 site accessible by the general public to educate consumers
  1 15 about the retail prices of prescription drugs.  The retail
  1 16 price information provided shall include information from the
  1 17 prescription drug retail price disclosure lists reported by
  1 18 pharmacies under this section.  The information provided shall
  1 19 be organized in a format that is conducive to review and
  1 20 comparison by consumers and which allows consumers to search
  1 21 by locality and by both brand name and generic name.
  1 22    2.  The board shall prepare the prescription drug retail
  1 23 price disclosure list on an annual basis.  The list shall be a
  1 24 compilation of the twenty=five most frequently dispensed drugs
  1 25 together with their usual dosages.  The list shall be
  1 26 available to all pharmacies in both printed and electronic
  1 27 formats.
  1 28    3.  A pharmacy shall compile a prescription drug retail
  1 29 price disclosure list which shall contain the prescription
  1 30 drugs on the list provided by the board and the pharmacy's
  1 31 corresponding current usual and customary retail prices for
  1 32 all of the prescription drugs.  A pharmacy shall update its
  1 33 prescription drug retail price disclosure list at least once
  1 34 every three months, and shall provide the list to any person
  1 35 upon request.  The pharmacy shall also report the information
  2  1 included on the list to the office of the attorney general
  2  2 every three months in a form and manner established by the
  2  3 office of the attorney general.
  2  4                           EXPLANATION
  2  5    This bill provides for the creation, by the office of the
  2  6 attorney general, of a prescription drug retail price
  2  7 comparison internet site accessible by the general public to
  2  8 educate consumers about the prices of prescription drugs.  The
  2  9 retail price information provided on the website is to include
  2 10 information collected from pharmacies that complete
  2 11 prescription drug retail price disclosure lists.  The
  2 12 information provided is to be organized so that it is
  2 13 conducive to review and comparison by consumers and allows
  2 14 consumers to search by locality and by both brand name and
  2 15 generic name.
  2 16    The bill directs the board of pharmacy examiners to prepare
  2 17 a prescription drug retail price disclosure list on an annual
  2 18 basis.  The list is to be a compilation of the 25 most
  2 19 frequently dispensed drugs together with their usual dosages.
  2 20 The list is to be available to all pharmacies in both printed
  2 21 and electronic formats.  The bill requires a pharmacy to
  2 22 compile a prescription drug retail price disclosure list,
  2 23 containing the prescription drugs on the list provided by the
  2 24 board and the pharmacy's corresponding current usual and
  2 25 customary retail prices for all of the prescription drugs.
  2 26    The bill requires a pharmacy to update its price disclosure
  2 27 list at least once every three months, and to provide the list
  2 28 to any person upon request.  The pharmacy is also required to
  2 29 report to the office of the attorney general the information
  2 30 included on the list every three months in a form and manner
  2 31 established by the office of the attorney general.
  2 32 LSB 2791HH 82
  2 33 pf:nh/je/5