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2001 SESSION

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SB 1028 Pharmaceutical Buying Cooperative.

Introduced by: Emily Couric | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Virginia Pharmaceutical Buying Cooperative. Directs the executive director of the Department of Human Resource Management, in cooperation with the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Health, to negotiate and enter into biennial contracts with a third-party administrator for the establishment, implementation, and administration of the Virginia Pharmaceutical Buying Cooperative. The Cooperative must be self-supporting and must be established for the purpose of assuring that the senior citizens of Virginia will have access to medically necessary prescription drugs at the lowest possible prices. In addition, the Cooperative must utilize, where possible, the services of existing pharmacies throughout the Commonwealth and, if practicable, any mail-order or managed care pharmacies with which the Department of Human Resources Management has existing contracts. This bill establishes a finding by the Governor and the General Assembly that many Virginia senior citizens who have chronic or acute health conditions are faced with large prescription drug costs without any insurance or other third-party coverage for such pharmaceutical costs, and that these senior citizens must often make choices between paying for medically necessary prescription drugs and the other necessities of life. Any third-party administrator contracting for the establishment, implementation, and administration of the Cooperative must (i) establish a methodology to ascertain eligibility for membership; (ii) design, in a manner to meet the needs of the senior citizens of Virginia, a formulary of prescription drugs that are to be made available through the Cooperative; (iii) set and revise, with the approval of the director of the Department of Human Resource Management, an affordable fee for joining the Cooperative that shall be sufficient to maintain the solvency of the program and to provide the third-party administrator with reasonable profits; (iv) prepare and submit, annually, for review the budget for the Cooperative to the director of the Department of Human Resource Management, the Attorney General, and the Commissioner of Health; (v) revise the Cooperative's budget in accordance with the requirements of the director of the Department of Human Resource Management, the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Health; (vi) establish purchasing agreements for the procurement or purchase by members of the drugs listed on the formulary; (vii) appoint, with the approval of the director of the Department of Human Resource Management, the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Health, a Virginia Pharmaceutical Buying Cooperative Advisory Committee to assist in the development of the program; (viii) aggressively, expeditiously, and effectively publicize the availability of membership in the Cooperative to the senior citizens of the Commonwealth; (ix) implement the Cooperative in a manner to coordinate the publicity, enrollment and service delivery with existing programs where possible; and (x) comply with the provisions of the executed contract. Eligible members must be at least 60 years old, maintain a domicile in Virginia, not be eligible for medical assistance services, and not have prescription drug coverage through a group or individual insurance or other benefit plan. The program cannot be construed as creating any legally enforceable right or entitlement to prescription drug coverage on the part of any person eligible for membership in the Cooperative or any right or entitlement to membership. The program will only be available to the extent supported by membership fees and management of such funds.


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