Source: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/legdoc.cfm?URL=/docs/2008/calendar/hc070430.htm
Timestamp: 2017-10-23 00:48:35
Document Index: 460841439

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1998', '§ 9421', '§ 317', '§ 1998', '§ 1998', '§ 1894', '§ 1897', '§ 5404']

MONDAY, APRIL 30, 3007
118th DAY OF BIENNIAL SESSION
H. 330 Repeal of Law to Municipal Trailer Park Ordinances....................... 1236
H. 542 Amendment to Charter City of Vergennes........................................ 1236
S. 6 Preventing Conviction of Innocent Persons........................................ 1236
S. 52 Motor Vehicles, Snowmobiles, Motorboats, All-Terrain Vehicles..... 1236
S. 93 Miscellaneous Changes to Education Law...................................... 1236
S. 128 Sunsets on Forensic Examinations at Designated Hospitals................ 1236
S. 137 Reducing Phosphorus Allowed in Household Cleansing Products ..... 1236
S. 116 Miscellaneous Election Law Amendments......................................... 1236
S. 121 Relating to Autism Spectrum Disorders............................................. 1241
Rep. Morrissey et al Amendment................................................... 1245
H. 148 Relating to Child Abuse Registry...................................................... 1245
H. 154 Relating to Stormwater Management............................................... 1268
S. 133 Motor Vehicle /Junior Operators / Primary Seat Belt Enforcement.... 1272
H. 546 Compensation for Certain Employees & Emergency Mgt................. 1272
H. 547 Fiscal Year 2007 Supplemental Appropriations............................... 1272
S. 7 Compassionate Use of Marijuana for Medical Purposes..................... 1272
Rep. Donahue for Human Services................................................. 1272
Rep. Aswad for Ways and Means................................................. 1278
Rep. Lippert for Judiciary.............................................................. 1278
S. 51 Prohibiting Discrimination on Basis of Gender Identity....................... 1278
S. 82 VT Addresses and Representations of VT Origins............................ 1278
S. 115 Transparency of Prescription Drug Pricing and Information............... 1281
Rep. Copeland-Hanzas for Health Care
Rep. Sharpe for Ways and Means................................................. 1300
S. 191 Financing, Reappraisal and Infrastructure in Tax Increments.............. 1300
J.R.H. 21 Worldwide ONE Campaign....................................................... 1301
H. 91 Rozo McLaughlin Farm-to-School Program.................................... 1301
H. 274 Relating to Adult Foster Care.......................................................... 1302
H. 368 Regulations of Professions and Occupations..................................... 1303
H. 380 Regulation of Health Care Facilities.................................................. 1303
H. 296 Potable Water Supply and Wastewater System Permitting............... 1306
(For text see Senate Journal 03/01/07 – P. 199; 03/15/07 – P. 243 )
Propose the amendment of the Committee on Education be further amended
(For text see Senate Journal 02/28/07 P. 181-186; 03/01/07 P.200 )
(For text see Senate Journal 03/15/07 – P. 244 )
Rep. Sunderland of Rutland Town, for the Committee on Commerce, recommends that the House propose to the Senate that the bill be amended as follows:
(For text see Senate Journal 03/21/07 P. 244 )
Rep. Copeland-Hanzas of Bradford, for the Committee on Health Care, recommends that the House propose to the Senate that the bill be amended by striking all after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
Sec. 1. 33 V.S.A. § 1998 is amended to read:
§ 9421. PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGEMENT; REGISTRATION; AUDIT
(c)(1) In order to enable periodic verification of pricing arrangements in administrative‑services‑only contracts, pharmacy benefit managers shall allow access, in accordance with rules adopted by the commissioner, by the health insurer who is a party to the administrative‑services‑only contract to financial and contractual information necessary to conduct a complete and independent audit designed to verify the following:
A health insurer, as defined in subdivisions 9471(2)(A), (C), and (D) of Title 18, shall provide beneficiaries sufficient notice of any changes to the prescription drugs covered on its preferred drug list. For purposes of this section, “sufficient notice” means:
(1) written notice to affected beneficiaries specifying the drugs that have been added or removed from the preferred drug list, which shall be provided to beneficiaries at least 30 days prior to the effective date of such changes; or
(2) written notice to a beneficiary that a specific drug is no longer covered on the preferred drug list at the time the beneficiary seeks a refill of that drug. In such circumstances, the beneficiary shall not be denied coverage for the first requested refill after the change to the preferred drug list has taken place. Subsequent refills, however, shall be subject to the requirements of the revised preferred drug list.
(a)(1) The department, in collaboration with the attorney general, the University of Vermont area health education centers program, and the office of Vermont health access, shall establish an evidence‑based prescription drug education program for health care professionals designed to provide information and education on the therapeutic and cost‑effective utilization of prescription drugs to physicians, pharmacists, and other health care professionals authorized to prescribe and dispense prescription drugs. The department may collaborate with other states in establishing this program.
(2) The program shall notify prescribers about commonly used brand-name drugs for which the patent has expired within the last 12 months or will expire within the next 12 months. The department and the office of Vermont health access shall collaborate in issuing the notices.
(3) To the extent permitted by funding, the program may include the distribution to prescribers of samples of generic medicines used to treat chronic conditions common in Vermont.
Sec. 15. GENERIC DRUG SAMPLE PILOT PROJECT
(a) As part of the evidence-based education program established in subchapter 2 of chapter 91 of Title 18, the department of health, in collaboration with the office of Vermont health access and the University of Vermont area health education centers program, shall establish a pilot project to distribute vouchers for a sample of generic drugs used to treat high cholesterol, including statins, and informational and educational materials to prescribers. The department and office may expand the pilot program to include other classes of prescription drugs used to treat common chronic conditions for which there is a generic medicine available.
(a) The general assembly finds that it has become an increasingly common practice for information identifying physicians and other prescribers in prescription records to be used to target pharmaceutical marketing and gifts toward physicians who prescribe the most expensive drugs for their patients. This practice raises drug costs for all Vermont residents and compromises the professional autonomy of physicians. It is the intent of the general assembly to ensure the privacy of Vermonters and health care professionals by prohibiting the commercial use of prescription information.
(1) “Commercial purpose” shall include advertising, marketing, promotion, or any activity that is intended to be used or is used to influence sales or the market share of a pharmaceutical product, influence or evaluate the prescribing behavior of an individual health care professional, market prescription drugs to patients, or evaluate the effectiveness of a professional pharmaceutical detailing sales force.
(2) “Electronic transmission intermediary” means an entity that provides the infrastructure that connects the computer systems or other electronic devices used by health care professionals, prescribers, pharmacies, health care facilities and pharmacy benefit managers, health insurers, third‑party administrators, and agents and contractors of those persons in order to facilitate the secure transmission of an individual’s prescription drug order, refill, authorization request, claim, payment, or other prescription drug information.
(3) “Health care facility” shall have the same meaning as in section 9402 of this title.
(4) “Health care professional” shall have the same meaning as in section 9402 of this title.
(5) “Health insurer” shall have the same meaning as in section 9410 of this title.
(8) “Regulated records” means information or documentation from a prescription written by a prescriber doing business in Vermont or a prescription dispensed in Vermont.
(c) A health insurer, a self‑insured employer, an electronic transmission intermediary, a pharmacy, or other similar entity shall not license, transfer, use, or sell regulated records which include prescription information containing patient‑identifiable or prescriber‑identifiable data for any commercial purpose.
(6) the collection and transmission of prescription information to a Vermont or federal law enforcement officer engaged in his or her official duties as otherwise provided by law;
(7) the collection, use, transfer, or sale of patient and prescriber data for commercial purposes if the data do not identify a person, and there is no reasonable basis to believe that the data provided could be used to identify a person.
(e) In addition to any other remedy provided by law, the attorney general may file an action in superior court for a violation of this section or of any rules adopted under this section by the attorney general. The attorney general shall have the same authority to investigate and to obtain remedies as if the action were brought under the Vermont consumer fraud act, chapter 63 of Title 9. Each violation of this section or of any rules adopted under this section by the attorney general constitutes a separate civil violation for which the attorney general may obtain relief.
Sec. 18. 1 V.S.A. § 317(c)(38) is added to read:
(38) records held by the agency of human services, which include prescription information containing patient-identifiable or prescriber‑identifiable data, that could be used to identify a patient or prescriber, except that the records shall be made available upon request for medical research purposes consistent with those expressed in sections 4621, 4631, 4632, 4633, and 9410 of Title 18 and chapters 84 and 84A of Title 18, or law enforcement activities.
(g) Any person who knowingly fails to comply with the requirements of this section or rules adopted pursuant to this section shall be fined subject to an administrative penalty of not more than $1,000.00 per violation. The commissioner may impose an administrative penalty of not more than $10,000.00 each for those violations the commissioner finds were willful. In addition, any person who knowingly fails to comply with the confidentiality requirements of this section or rules adopted pursuant to this section and uses, sells or transfers the data or information for commercial advantage, pecuniary gain, personal gain or malicious harm shall be subject to an administrative penalty of not more than $50,000.00 per violation. The powers vested in the commissioner by this subsection shall be in addition to any other powers to enforce any penalties, fines or forfeitures authorized by law.
Sec. 20. 33 V.S.A. § 1998b is added to read:
§ 1998b. Manufacturer Fee
(a) Annually, each pharmaceutical manufacturer of prescription drugs that are paid for by Medicaid, the Vermont Health Access Program, Dr. Dynasaur, VPharm or Vermont Rx shall pay a fee to the agency of human services. The fee shall be 0.5 percent of the previous calendar year’s drug spending and shall be assessed based on manufacturer labeler codes as used in the Medicaid rebate program.
(b) Fees collected under this section shall fund the implementation and operation of subdivision 2466a(c)(1) of Title 9 and the evidence‑based education program established in subchapter 2 of Title 18.
An act relating to financing, reappraisal and infrastructure in tax increment financing district.
First: In Sec. 3. 24 V.S.A. § 1894 in subdivision (b)(1) by striking the third sentence that reads: “The council shall also assure the viability and reasonableness of any proposed financing other than bonding and least‑cost financing.” and inserting in lieu thereof the following: “The council, in consultation with the state treasurer, shall also assure the viability and reasonableness of any proposed financing other than bonding.”
Second: In Sec. 5. 24 V.S.A. § 1897, in subsection (a) by striking the final sentence and inserting in lieu thereof the following: “Notwithstanding any provision of any municipal charter, the legal voters of a municipality, by a single vote, shall authorize the legislative body to pledge the credit of the municipality up to a specified maximum dollar amount for all debt obligations to be financed with state property tax increment pursuant to approval by the Vermont economic progress council and subject to the provisions of this section and 32 V.S.A. § 5404a.”
(For text see Senate Journal 04/06/07 – P. 415 )
(For text see House Journal April 4, 2007 – P. 504)