Bill > H1212

This bill aims to improve emergency access to insulin by creating a new provision that allows pharmacists to dispense insulin in urgent situations where a patient cannot quickly obtain authorization from their healthcare provider. The bill defines an "emergency situation" as an event where getting prescription authorization is not readily possible and gives pharmacists the professional discretion to determine if dispensing insulin is essential to sustain the patient's life or continue treatment for a chronic condition. Under this legislation, a pharmacist may provide up to a 30-day supply of insulin (or the standard unit of dispensing if that exceeds 30 days), but can only do so once per patient in a six-month period. The bill also amends multiple sections of Massachusetts law related to health insurance and state health programs to ensure that insulin dispensed in these emergency situations will be covered. The commissioner of public health is tasked with developing specific rules and regulations to implement this new emergency insulin access provision, which is designed to prevent potentially life-threatening situations where patients might go without critical medication.

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https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1212