Governor Nixon has signed two bills supported by Associated Industries of Missouri that will make a difference in the healthcare market place.
On Wednesday, the governor signed Senate Bill 875 into law. This is a bill that was the subject of a letter of support from AIM president Ray McCarty to the governor. The legislation allows pharmacists to fill prescriptions for brand name biological products with interchangeable biological products.
“Consumers may benefit when the interchangeable biological product costs less than the prescribed biological product, very similar to the substitution of generic drugs for prescribed name-brand drugs,” wrote McCarty. “The controls included in the bill follow model controls implemented in several other states and we support the bill.”
Senate Bill 875 was sponsored by Sen. Kurt Schaefer. Rep. Tila Hubrecht handled the legislation in the House. The bill was identical to House Bills 1366 and 1878, sponsored by Rep. Hubrecht. Those bills did not make it across the finish line in time for the governor’s signature.
SB 875 was given final passage in the House of Representatives by a 144 – 1 margin on April 19.
Also on Wednesday, the governor signed Senate Bill 579 into law. The bill will update the list of infections that must be reported by hospitals, improve healthcare transparency, and assist patients in making educated decisions about their healthcare.
McCarty urged the governor to sign Senate Bill 579 in a letter of support.
“As employers, we value quality healthcare and are often the primary source for insurance for our employees,” said McCarty.
Senate Bill 579 also sets forth reasonable standards and requirements for telehealth programs.
The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Rob Schaaf and handled in the House by Rep Sue Allen . Rep. Allen carried similar legislation in House Bill 1855, which ran out of time while being considered by the Senate.
Both SB 875 and SB 579 go into effect on August 28.
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