Legislative and Policy Update September 10, 2021

North Carolina Association of Pharmacists Advancing Pharmacy. Improving Health.

Legislative and Policy Update September 10, 2021

NCAP Is On a Roll!

General Assembly Passes Senate 257 Awaits Governor’s Signature In what is perhaps our biggest legislative success to date, your NCAP has been successful in working to pass our “PBM” bill. The bill, which was in “conference” between House and Senate. The “conference report,” a compromise document between the Senate and House versions was given final approval by both bodies on yesterday afternoon, September 9 th. Here is the version that is headed to the Governor: https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2021/Bills/Senate/PDF/S257v6.pdf This legislation, when signed, will require PBM’s to be licensed and gives the insurance commissioner the ability to administer fines for many of the practices that have harmed the practice of pharmacy and the welfare of our patients. The bill will help patients to use pharmacies of their choice and save millions of dollars in drug costs, while enhancing the competitiveness of the marketplace.

This was a tough fight, with the PBM’s, Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC and their many lobbyists pushing back all the way. Some provisions we wanted were taken out late in the process, but this is a big win for community and independent pharmacies, for our patients and for the practice of pharmacy in general.

It is very important that we recognize the legislators who made this possible Senator Jim Perry, our champion https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/S/419 led the way, shepherding the bill through a challenging Senate environment.

He was assisted in this by Senator Danny Britt https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/S/399

and Senator Todd Johnson https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/S/406

On the House side, Rep. Wayne Sasser, https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/754 always our “go to guy” used his skills to both improve upon the Senate version and move the bill through the House.

Current status: Awaiting signature by the Governor.

It is VERY IMPORTANT for you to thank the legislators who carried this bill for pharmacists and patients.

We have provided you with contact information. A short phone call or note saying thank you for their work would be much appreciated.

We need to also thank the other Senators who co-sponsored this bill. They are Senators: Alexander; Barnes; Corbin; deViere; Edwards; Garrett; Jarvis; Lazzara; Lowe; McInnis; Mohammed; Saw yer; Steinburg Please make some time to reach out to these members, and especially if one of them is your legislator to thank them for their support. You can find your own legislator by clicking on this link: https://www.ncleg.gov/FindYourLegislators Simply type in your address in the window provided.

Other Legislation As reported in our last update, the General Assembly passed, and the Governor signed H96 “Allow Pharmacists to Administer Injectable Drugs” on Friday August 20 th.

And as noted before, this bill is actually a dual win for us. The bill is a combination of H 96 and Senate 575 “Pharmacists Improve Public Health Needs.” Your NCAP worked diligently with our legislative

supporters to get this bill done. It represents a significant expansion of what North Carolina pharmacists will be able to do in support of their patient’s needs. Here is the version of the bill signed by the Governor. https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2021/Bills/House/PDF/H96v6.pdf Your NCAP along with the Board of Pharmacy are in the process of writing the protocols and rules required in the legislation, as well as developing educational programming to equip pharmacists to take on these new authorities.

We MUST thank those who sponsored this legislation and who worked so hard for N.C. pharmacists.

They are:

Primary Sponsors Representatives: Sasser; Setzer; White; Adcock (Primary) Cosponsors:Autry; Ball; Belk; Blackwell; Boles; Brisson; Brockman; Butler; Carney; Carter; Clemmons; Dahle; Faircloth; Farkas; Fisher; K.Hall; Hanig; Hawkins; Hunter; Hurley; Insko; John; Kidwell; McNeely; McNeill; Morey; Moss; Riddell; Rogers; K.Smith; Turner; Willingham; Wray Please take a moment to write a short email or note of thanks to these legislators, and especially if one of them is YOUR legislator. It’s important for them to hear from us.

S 711 “NC Compassionate Care Act” Senator Rabon has brought this bill up for consideration. It would legalize the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Pharmacy has a keen interest in this bill and your NCAP has been actively engaged with the bill sponsors from the time it was introduced.

If the purpose is to treat cannabis as a medication, then in our view the substance should be treated like any other drug or medication. This means strict quality controls on the manufacture of the drug, a doctor’s recommendation for its use for a specific medical condition and, importantly, a key role for pharmacists in the dispensing of the drug. The bill has made progress through the Senate, but its future remains uncertain. We are working to ensure that pharmacists will play a key role in the dispensing of the drug. There are a lot of interested parties weighing in on this legislation. Not all of them are aligned with our perspective. Keep tuned for further updates on this important bill. The latest version of the bill can be found here: https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2021/Bills/Senate/PDF/S711v3.pdf Current status: The bill passed out of the Senate Commerce and Insurance Committee with a unanimous vote. The bill passed out of the Rules committee and Senate Judiciary. Next stop, Senate Health committee. It faces a long series of hearings in the House

Please Help NCAP is working tirelessly to advance legislation that makes a difference for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. What you can do to help:

1. Talk about what NCAP is doing and how the Association is working to secure wins for our profession.

2. Encourage your pharmacist and technician friends and colleagues to join NCAP. Membership dollars is how we maintain a high functioning and successful state pharmacy association.

3. We’ve had some recent wins, but we still have a lot of work to do, on behalf of pharmacy, in North Carolina. Please give to PILLPAC. Donations provided to PILLPAC are used to support the campaigns of pharmacy friendly legislators. Donating to “PILLPAC” is super easy, and you can choose how much you want to give. Every dollar helps. Just text the word ‘PILLS’ to (704) 396-5553, to receive a link to donate. You can make a one-time donation or set up a monthly contribution.

As always, send your thoughts, input and suggestions to me, Tony Solari at solarigovernmentsolutions@gmail.com