Honorable Lois W. Kolkhorst, Chair, House Committee on Public Health
FROM:
John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3755 by Howard, Donna (Relating to the period for which a prescription written for a Medicaid recipient is valid.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would require the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to ensure, to the extent allowed by federal law, that a prescription provided under the state Medicaid program, excluding those for a controlled substance, is valid for up to a year if not otherwise specified on the prescription. HHSC currently prevents the filling of claims or refills for a prescription that was written more than six months past and limits the number of refills to five. The bill would require HHSC to modify the claims processing system to accept a claim up to twelve months old and allow up to eleven refills. HHSC assumes that any cost associated with this change could be absorbed within existing resources.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.