Hawaii-2011-HCR128-Amended

WHEREAS, the purpose of the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund (EUTF) is to provide eligible state and county employees, retirees, and their dependents with health and other benefit plans at a cost affordable to both the public employers and the public employees; and

WHEREAS, EUTF selected Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) through a competitive bid process to administer their prescription drug benefit plan; and

WHEREAS, the contracted Pharmacy Benefit Manager is responsible for processing and paying prescription drug claims, developing and maintaining a drug formulary, contracting with pharmacies, negotiating discounts and rebates with drug manufacturers, and providing mandatory mail order service for EUTF members; and

WHEREAS, EUTF members have voiced great dissatisfaction over their inability to select a pharmacy provider of their own choice as a result of the EUTF policy of mandatory use of mail order service for drugs; and

WHEREAS, numerous complaints have been made by EUTF members regarding timeliness, accuracy and specialty-drug packaging and delivery issues associated with the EUTF-contracted mail order service provider; and

WHEREAS, the EUTF policy of mandatory use of mail order service for drugs has had significant local economic impact, particularly on Neighbor Island community pharmacies; and

WHEREAS, a host of service problems has been experienced by limited-, non- and accented-English-speaking persons attempting to communicate with personnel in the contracted PBM’s call center in Florida; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the Senate concurring, that the Governor is requested to convene a task force whose purpose would be to review the policies of the state-funded prescription drug coverage benefit plan and its services by examining the mandatory use of the mail order service, lack of community pharmacy access, customer service problems experienced by limited-, non- and accented-English speaking persons, and any other related issues, and make recommendations regarding the provision of pharmacy services for EUTF members; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force membership shall include twelve members as follows:

(1) A member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(2) A member of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate;

(3) The Director of Health or the Director’s designee;

(4) The Insurance Commissioner or the Insurance Commissioner’s designee;

(5) Two members selected by the Director of Health who are from different private service providers;

(6) Two members selected by the Employee Union Trust Fund (EUTF) Board who are members of the EUTF;

(7) Four members appointed by the Governor from a list submitted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the Senate, with each member representing a different organization that represents pharmacists and their consumers from the counties of Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Island; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the task force shall serve without compensation and shall receive no reimbursement for expenses; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit to the Legislature an annual report no later than twenty days prior to the start of the Regular Session of 2012, on its findings and recommendations, including any legislation or funding appropriation necessary to implement the recommended policy; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall cease to exist on May 1^st 2012; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor and the Chair of the EUTF Board.

Report Title:

Task Force; Policy; Regulation of Pharmacy Benefit Management Companies; Patients Right to Select Their Own Pharmacy Provider

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	128
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011		H.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII