|
04 LC 33 0286S
The House Committee on Human Relations & Aging offers the following substitute to HB 935:
A BILL TO BE
ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 6 of Title 49 of the Official
Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions related to services
for the aging, so as to provide for legislative findings and intent; to
establish an advisory committee on seniors and prescription drug costs and to
provide for its selection, compensation, powers, qualifications, and duties; to
provide for automatic repeal; to provide for related matters; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 1 of Chapter 6 of Title 49 of the Official Code of
Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions related to services for the
aging, is amended by adding a new Code Section 49-6-8 to read as
follows:
"49-6-8.
(a) The General Assembly finds, determines, and declares:
(1) That prescription drugs are the fastest rising component of personal health expenditures in the United States and many conditions that previously required surgery and hospitalization now are treatable by prescription drugs;
(2) That the prices of prescription drugs are a matter of great concern to most adults, but especially to seniors, who are the biggest consumers of such drugs and for whom their quality of life depends on such drugs;
(3) That the cost of prescription drugs can create financial burdens for many seniors, particularly those with low incomes;
(4) That most seniors are enrolled in medicare, but medicare will offer some assistance for outpatient prescription drugs, but there will still be significant out of pocket expenses;
(5) That the pharmaceutical industry has risen to the challenge to ease the financial burden of the cost of prescription drugs for seniors and has implemented prescription drug assistance programs for seniors who cannot afford those medications;
(6) That this state has available currently a program, GeorgiaCares, designed to educate and help seniors apply for all available low cost prescription drug assistance programs; and
(7) That the subcommittee of the Human Relations and Aging Committee of the House of Representatives, which has reported on the issue of prescription drug costs for seniors, has recommended continued study of ways to assist seniors with their medication costs.
(b)(1) For reasons specified in subsection (a) of this Code section, there is established an advisory committee on seniors and prescription drug costs for the purposes of studying and collecting the informational data specified in this Code section and providing two reports on such information to the General Assembly and Governor by July 1, 2005, and by July 1, 2007, for the purpose of providing recommendations concerning, but not limited to, the following:
(A) Appropriate methodologies to evaluate the experiences of seniors trying to access prescription drug assistance programs and the effectiveness of referrals to such programs;
(B) Marketing approaches to provide information about available prescription drug assistance programs to seniors;
(C) Streamlining the enrollment and purchasing process for all available prescription drug assistance programs;
(D) Coordinating various prescription drug assistance programs;
(E) Evaluating outcome data provided by GeorgiaCares to make policy recommendations to the General Assembly;
(F) Identifying gaps in prescription drug coverage and programs designed to assist seniors in obtaining prescription medications; and
(G) Assessing the experiences of seniors in obtaining prescription drugs at affordable costs with various coverages.
(2) The advisory committee on seniors and prescription drug costs shall consist of at least 11 members who shall be appointed by the director of the Division of Aging Services of the Department of Human Resources. Members appointed to the committee shall have training, experience, or interest in the area of senior health care and shall include representation from both rural and urban areas, at least one physician specializing in gerontology, one pharmacist, one member of a nonprofit organization that advocates for seniors, one senior consumer, one representative of the pharmaceutical industry, one representative of the Georgia Council on Aging, one representative of GeorgiaCares, one representative from the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, and one representative of the area agencies on aging. In addition, the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint one member from the House of Representatives, and the President of the Senate shall appoint one member from the Senate to serve on the advisory committee. Members of the committee shall be assisted by staff of the Division of Aging Services of the Department of Human Resources as the director of the division deems necessary.
(3) The members of the advisory committee on seniors and prescription drug costs shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed at the legal mileage rate for state employees for the use of a personal automobile while traveling to and from meetings of the advisory committee plus actual parking charges incurred while attending any such meetings.
(4) The advisory committee on seniors and prescription drug costs shall meet as often as necessary to study and collect the information necessary and provide reports to the General Assembly and Governor on July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2007, and to develop and make recommendations specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection.
(5) This Code section is automatically repealed effective July 1, 2010."
"49-6-8.
(a) The General Assembly finds, determines, and declares:
(1) That prescription drugs are the fastest rising component of personal health expenditures in the United States and many conditions that previously required surgery and hospitalization now are treatable by prescription drugs;
(2) That the prices of prescription drugs are a matter of great concern to most adults, but especially to seniors, who are the biggest consumers of such drugs and for whom their quality of life depends on such drugs;
(3) That the cost of prescription drugs can create financial burdens for many seniors, particularly those with low incomes;
(4) That most seniors are enrolled in medicare, but medicare will offer some assistance for outpatient prescription drugs, but there will still be significant out of pocket expenses;
(5) That the pharmaceutical industry has risen to the challenge to ease the financial burden of the cost of prescription drugs for seniors and has implemented prescription drug assistance programs for seniors who cannot afford those medications;
(6) That this state has available currently a program, GeorgiaCares, designed to educate and help seniors apply for all available low cost prescription drug assistance programs; and
(7) That the subcommittee of the Human Relations and Aging Committee of the House of Representatives, which has reported on the issue of prescription drug costs for seniors, has recommended continued study of ways to assist seniors with their medication costs.
(b)(1) For reasons specified in subsection (a) of this Code section, there is established an advisory committee on seniors and prescription drug costs for the purposes of studying and collecting the informational data specified in this Code section and providing two reports on such information to the General Assembly and Governor by July 1, 2005, and by July 1, 2007, for the purpose of providing recommendations concerning, but not limited to, the following:
(A) Appropriate methodologies to evaluate the experiences of seniors trying to access prescription drug assistance programs and the effectiveness of referrals to such programs;
(B) Marketing approaches to provide information about available prescription drug assistance programs to seniors;
(C) Streamlining the enrollment and purchasing process for all available prescription drug assistance programs;
(D) Coordinating various prescription drug assistance programs;
(E) Evaluating outcome data provided by GeorgiaCares to make policy recommendations to the General Assembly;
(F) Identifying gaps in prescription drug coverage and programs designed to assist seniors in obtaining prescription medications; and
(G) Assessing the experiences of seniors in obtaining prescription drugs at affordable costs with various coverages.
(2) The advisory committee on seniors and prescription drug costs shall consist of at least 11 members who shall be appointed by the director of the Division of Aging Services of the Department of Human Resources. Members appointed to the committee shall have training, experience, or interest in the area of senior health care and shall include representation from both rural and urban areas, at least one physician specializing in gerontology, one pharmacist, one member of a nonprofit organization that advocates for seniors, one senior consumer, one representative of the pharmaceutical industry, one representative of the Georgia Council on Aging, one representative of GeorgiaCares, one representative from the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, and one representative of the area agencies on aging. In addition, the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint one member from the House of Representatives, and the President of the Senate shall appoint one member from the Senate to serve on the advisory committee. Members of the committee shall be assisted by staff of the Division of Aging Services of the Department of Human Resources as the director of the division deems necessary.
(3) The members of the advisory committee on seniors and prescription drug costs shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed at the legal mileage rate for state employees for the use of a personal automobile while traveling to and from meetings of the advisory committee plus actual parking charges incurred while attending any such meetings.
(4) The advisory committee on seniors and prescription drug costs shall meet as often as necessary to study and collect the information necessary and provide reports to the General Assembly and Governor on July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2007, and to develop and make recommendations specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection.
(5) This Code section is automatically repealed effective July 1, 2010."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are
repealed.