BILL REQ. #:  H-4196.1 

Prefiled 01/09/08. Read first time 01/14/08.   Referred to Committee on Health Care & Wellness.

     AN ACT Relating to refilling a prescription; adding a new section to chapter 69.41 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 48.43 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 69.41 RCW to read as follows:
     Nothing in this chapter prohibits a pharmacy from providing a person with a refill of a drug prior to any time restriction for the prescription of that drug if:
     (1) There are authorized refills remaining;
     (2) The person seeking the refill resides in a county that:
     (a) Is under a flood warning issued by the national weather service;
     (b) Is declared to be under a state of emergency as proclaimed by the governor; or
     (c) Has activated its emergency operations center and its emergency management plan; and
     (3) The refill is requested within thirty days after the origination date of the conditions described in subsection (2) of this section or until those conditions are terminated by the issuing authority or no longer exist.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 48.43 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Every health carrier that provides prescription medication coverage as part of a health plan shall waive time restrictions on prescription medication refills to enable an enrollee to refill prescriptions prior to the time restriction, if there are authorized refills remaining, and shall authorize payments to pharmacies for at least a thirty-day supply of any prescription medication, regardless of the date that the prescription had most recently been refilled by a pharmacy if the conditions in section 1 of this act have been met.
     (2) Nothing in subsection (1) of this section excuses or exempts an enrollee from compliance with all other terms of the health plan.