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CPhA's Weekly Legislative Briefing
November 24, 2015


Welcome to this week's issue of the Capitol Pulse.
TOP STORY
CPhA Releases End-of-Year 2015 Legislative Digest
Over 2,300 bills were introduced in California during the 2015 legislative year, with over 100 potentially impacting the pharmacy profession. CPhA tracks all bills introduced in the state Legislature and plays an active role in those with an impact on pharmacy-promoting those with a positive impact on pharmacists and their patients, and opposing those with a negative impact. Click here  to download CPhA's annual Legislative Digest, which highlights key bills that will take effect in 2016, and shows legislation that CPhA played an active role in.

BOP UPDATE
The Board of Pharmacy last week published modifications to three pending regulations. The regulations-affecting Advanced Practice Pharmacy applications, independent administration of immunizations, and sterile compounding-are all issues that CPhA has been deeply involved in for a long time. The APP regulations were modified to extend the time period over which an applicant's clinical experience may be earned, ensuring that pharmacists who engage in clinical practice for only a portion of their time can use that experience towards qualifying.  The sterile compounding regulations continue to be a challenge, as the BOP attempts to align state law with USP standards. CPhA will continue to advocate for regulations that allow pharmacists to provide services to their patients without unnecessary legal burdens.

Other Pharmacy-Related News
States Lead Effort to Let Pharmacists Prescribe Birth Control
Groundbreaking laws in two Western states will soon make access to birth control easier for millions of women by allowing them to obtain contraceptives from pharmacists without a doctor's prescription.   Read more...
 
Administration Seeking Ways to Keep Prescription Drugs Affordable
The Obama administration began building a political case Friday for government actions to protect people against high pharmaceutical costs, saying millions of Americans were unable to afford lifesaving prescription drugs. Read more...
 
Spike in Medi-Cal Enrollment Adds Pressure to 'Doctor Deserts'
A spike in Medi-Cal enrollment after California expanded the program under the Affordable Care Act has exacerbated problems with health care access in rural areas, such as long travel distances and wait times for care.  Read more...

Brown Administration Continues Efforts to Replace MCO Tax
The current MCO tax expires in June 2016. In July, federal officials said they would not reauthorize the formula California uses.  With the current tax, only MCOs participating in Medi-Cal -- the state's Medicaid program -- are taxed. California gets $1.1 billion in federal matching dollars on that money and then the MCOs are reimbursed through the Medi-Cal services they provide. Federal officials said if California wants to continue taxing MCOs, the state must tax all of them.  Read more...

What to do with Extra Prescription Drugs
Drug take-back programs and facilities exist, but they are few and far between. One reason is a lack of willpower. Another is cost. There are no federal grants to help get such a program up and running.  A bill working its way through Congress would help change that.  Read more...

Union Revives Ballot Measure to Cap Hospital Executive Pay
With the current tax, only MCOs participating in Medi-Cal -- the state's Medicaid program -- are taxed. California gets $1.1 billion in federal matching dollars on that money and then the MCOs are reimbursed through the Medi-Cal services they provide. Federal officials said if California wants to continue taxing MCOs, the state must tax all of them.   Read more...

Why Maryland--Not California--Pulled off the 'Boldest Proposal' in Health Care
For a year, a dozen of California's most powerful health care leaders had been privately meeting to talk a revolution.  The CEOs of hospital giants like Dignity Health, Sharp HealthCare and Sutter Health.  All brought together by UC-Berkeley professors in January 2012 to debate the future of California health care. Read more...

Why Painkiller Addiction and Abuse Are Rising Healthcare Priorities
Discussion of health care in this country has been dominated by Obamacare since debate about the law began in earnest before its passage in 2010. Now other issues such as rising drug prices and deductibles are edging onto the agenda.  A third issue may be joining the others as a top-tier health topic at the state and federal levels: the problem of painkiller and heroin abuse and addiction. Governors and candidates are paying more and more attention to this growing health problem. Read more...

Drug Overdose Rates Soaring Among U.S. Youth
Drug overdose deaths have skyrocketed among teens and young adults in the United States, with rates tripling or quadrupling in one out of every three states, a new report says.   Read more...

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