August 11, 2015
On July 27, 2015, Gov. Brown signed SB 841 into law, amending sections 2 and 4 of Chapter 25 of the Oregon insurance code and creating new sections.
The new law requires health benefit plans (as defined in ORS 743.730(18)) that include prescription drug coverage to reimburse the cost of prescription drugs in accordance with the plan’s synchronization policy. ‘Synchronization policy’ means a procedure for aligning the refill dates of a patient’s prescription drugs so prescriptions that are refilled at the same frequency may be refilled concurrently.
Plans must also:
Prorate the copayment or adjust the copayment using a method approved by the Department of Consumer and Business Services for drugs dispensed in less than a 30-day supply for the purpose of synchronizing a patient’s prescription drug refills; and
Reimburse fully the dispensing fee for partially filled or refilled prescription drugs.The law specifies that these requirements do not apply to a prepaid group practice health plan with at least 200,000 enrollees in Oregon.
In addition, the law requires the Oregon Health Authority to implement a synchronization policy for dispensing prescription drugs to medical assistance recipients who are not enrolled in coordinated care organizations.
This law is effective Jan. 1, 2016.
SB 841 »