Drug list for Medicaid clears hurdle
The Senate unanimously passed SB42, sponsored by Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, which would authorize the health department to establish a preferred drug list for the state's Medicaid program.
The bill needs one more positive vote by the Senate before it moves to the House for approval. The final Senate vote may not be unanimous, however, as Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, signaled he may change his vote when SB42 comes back before the Senate.
PDL proponents argue the lists can provide millions of dollars a year in savings by creating a registry of drugs, usually older or generic formularies, that doctors can prescribe to Medicaid patients. It also puts the state in a prime position to receive substantial drug rebates, Christensen said Tuesday.
"We need these savings," he said.
The health department estimates a PDL could eventually save the state between $8 million and $10 million annually.
PDL opponents worry the lists will tie doctors' hands and prevent patients from getting the medicine they need.
Christensen's bill is a broader version of bills that have failed to even get out of committee in the past couple of years. SB42 allows health officials to establish a PDL for virtually all classes of prescription medication, excepting psychotropic and anti-psychotic drugs.
Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, attempted Tuesday to narrow SB42 by limiting it to a two-year pilot program on six classifications of drugs.
"I'm not about to jump into it and say let's give it carte blanche," said the senator, whose substitution ultimately failed.
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. supports creation of a PDL, as does the Utah Medical Association, the Utah Hospitals and Health Systems Association, the Utah Pharmacists Association and AARP Utah.
Such broad support should not go unnoticed, Christensen said Tuesday.
"That says something big," he said. "They know if we don't have some savings someplace were going to end up cutting programs somewhere else."
SB42's only formal opposition this year has come from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which testified against the bill last week.
That, too, is telling, Sen. Pat Jones, D-Salt Lake, said Tuesday. Jones said she has a campaign contribution check in her wallet from a pharmaceutical company that she received shortly before the legislative session began.
"My constituents do not want a check from special interests," Jones said. "They want a check on special interests."
Contributing: Lisa Riley Roche
E-mail: awelling@desnews.com
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