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               ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5566

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State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Health & Long‑Term Care (originally sponsored by Senators Thibaudeau, Franklin, Deccio and Kohl‑Welles)

READ FIRST TIME 02/28/01.

Requiring uniform prescription drug information cards. 

    AN ACT Relating to requiring uniform prescription drug information cards; adding a new section to chapter 48.43 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  It is the intent of the legislature to improve care to patients by minimizing confusion, eliminating unnecessary paperwork, decreasing administrative burdens, and streamlining dispensing of prescription products paid for by third-party payors.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 48.43 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) A health carrier that provides coverage for prescription drugs provided on an outpatient basis and issues a card or other technology for claims processing, or an administrator of a health benefit plan including, but not limited to, third-party administrators for self-insured plans, pharmacy benefits managers, and state administered plans, shall issue to its enrollees a pharmacy identification card or other technology containing all information required for proper prescription drug claims adjudication.

    (2) Upon renewal of the health benefit plan, information on the pharmacy identification card or other technology shall be made current by the health carrier or other entity that issues the card.

    (3) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require any health carrier or administrator of a health benefit plan to issue a pharmacy identification card or other technology separate from another identification card issued to an enrollee under the health benefit plan if the identification card contains all of the information required under subsection (1) of this section.

    (4) This section applies to health benefit plans that are delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after July 1, 2003.  For the purposes of this section, renewal of a health benefit policy, contract, or plan occurs on each anniversary of the date on which coverage was first effective on the person or persons covered by the health benefit plan.

    (5) The insurance commissioner may adopt rules to implement this act, taking into consideration any relevant standards developed by the national council for prescription drug programs and the requirements of the federal health insurance portability and accountability act of 1996.

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