Last Thursday, Governor Schwarzenegger simultaneously unveiled his budget proposal for 2008/2009 and declared a fiscal state of emergency for California. The $14 billion deficit facing the State of California is the overriding theme in the fiscal state of emergency. The Governor proposed 10% cuts across the board, including payments to providers. The plan to achieve the proposed 10% cuts is to be in the form of a bill which the Governor indicated that he would like finalized and passed by March 1st with the cuts to be implemented June 1, 2008.
This is the first fiscal state of emergency special session so the process of how the Governor's proposed budget cuts will be discussed and fully vetted is still being determined. As information is available with respect to the vehicle (bill), the hearing dates and CPhA's specific message we will be reaching out to all of you, CPhA's members, to get involved in assisting us in Sacramento and across the State to fight these proposed cuts to pharmacy reimbursement. As a member of CPhA, if there was ever a time for you to really engage on the legislative front, the 2008 Legislative Session is it!
The fiscal state of emergency is in session running concurrently with the regular 2008 Legislative Session and the special session to address health care reform. The Senate Health Committee has delayed its' scheduled hearing on the health care reform plan promoted by the Governor and the Speaker, until Wednesday, January 23rd. There remains to specific timeline with respect to the special session on health care reform.
The bill introduction deadline for the 2008 Legislation Session is February 22nd. We will post a chart of the introduced bills and CPhA's positions after review and decisions are made by the CPhA Legislative Committee. Below please find a list of the bills that were carried over from last year and will be heard this coming week.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at klynch@cpha.com or (916) 779-1400.
Thank you very much for your continued support!
Kathy
Monday, January 14, 2008 Assembly Floor
SB 606 (Scott) Pharmaceutical Information Clinical Trial Data
SB 606 requires a pharmaceutical manufacturer that sells, delivers, offers for sale, or gives away pharmaceutical drugs within the state to make publicly available the results of every completed clinical trial, except a phase 1 trail or study used to establish bioequivalence, for that drug and an explanation of non-completion for any clinical trial, except a phase 1 trial, that the manufacturer initiates or sponsors the initiation of, but does not complete.
CPhA Position: Watch
To read the full text of this bill click or cut and paste:
http://www.legislature.ca.gov/cgi-bin/port-postquery?bill_number=sb_606&sess=CUR&house=B&author=scott
Monday, January 14, 2008 Senate Floor
SB 743 (Kuehl) Hospitals: Medical Errors
SB 743 makes various findings regarding medical errors. It requires every licensed general acute care hospital, licensed acute psychiatric hospital, or special hospital, to conduct an assessment of its processes for detecting, reporting, and remediating preventable medical errors, and to prepare a plan for reducing the prevalence of those errors. Among those who could be affected by this bill are pharmacists who work in the hospital or mental health facility settings.
CPhA position: Watch
To read the full text of this bill click or cut and paste:
http://www.legislature.ca.gov/cgi-bin/port-postquery?bill_number=sb_743&sess=CUR&house=B&author=kuehl
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 Assembly Business and Professions Committee
AB 1436 (Hernandez) Nurse Practitioners
Existing law, the Nursing Practice Act, provides for the certification and regulation of nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives by the Board of Registered Nursing and specifies requirements for qualification or certification as a nurse practitioner. AB 1436 bill would revise the educational requirements for qualification or certification as a nurse practitioner and would require a nurse practitioner to be certified by a nationally recognized certifying body approved by the board.
CPhA position: Watch
To read the full text of this bill click or cut and paste:
http://www.legislature.ca.gov/cgi-bin/port-postquery?bill_number=ab_1436&sess=CUR&house=B&author=hernandez
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 Assembly Public Safety Committee
AB 259 (Adams) Crimes: Sale or Distribution of Salvia Divinorum
AB 259 would make the sale or distribution of Salvia divinorum or Salvinorin A, or any substance or material containing Salvia divinorum or Salvinorin A, to any person under 18 years of age a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than 6 months, by a fine of no more than $1,000, or both. Because this bill would create a new crime, it would impose a state-mandated local program.
CPhA position: Watch
To read the full text of this bill click or cut and paste:
http://www.legislature.ca.gov/cgi-bin/port-postquery?bill_number=ab_259&sess=CUR&house=B&author=adams
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 Assembly Health Committee
AB 501 (Swanson) Pharmaceutical Devices
AB 501 requires a pharmaceutical manufacturer whose product is administered for home use through a pre-filled syringe, pre-filled pen, or other pre-filled injection device to arrange to provide, upon a request from a consumer, a postage prepaid, mail-back sharps container that has been approved by the United States Postal Service and the Department of Public Health.
CPhA position: Watch
To read the full text of this bill click or cut and paste:
http://www.legislature.ca.gov/cgi-bin/port-postquery?bill_number=ab_501&sess=CUR&house=B&author=swanson
AB 851 (Brownley) Medi-Cal: Eligibility
AB 851 authorizes individuals who are otherwise eligible under the Medi-Cal program which provides basic health care services for employed individuals with disabilities who meet specified income and resource requirements but are temporarily unemployed to elect to remain on the program for a specified period. AB 851 provides additional resource exemptions in determining eligibility under the program.
CPhA position: Watch
To read the full text of this bill click or cut and paste:
http://www.legislature.ca.gov/cgi-bin/port-postquery?bill_number=ab_851&sess=CUR&house=B&author=brownley
AB 1154 (Leno) Diabetes
AB 1154 would require the Department of Health Services, in consultation with the California Health Alliance Commission, to develop and administer a diabetes risk reduction pilot program within 24 counties to review, analyze, and report on the outcomes from integrative care of diabetes through proactive prevention.
CPhA position: Watch
To read the full text of this bill click or cut and paste:
http://www.legislature.ca.gov/cgi-bin/port-postquery?bill_number=ab_1154&sess=CUR&house=B&author=leno
Board of Pharmacy Meeting
The next Board of Pharmacy meeting will be on January 23-24, 2008 in San Diego. On January 24th the Board will be holding a hearing to discuss the proposed compounding regulations. The proposed language will impact any pharmacy that does compounding and will impose new requirements on this traditional pharmacy practice. The regulation language has been in development for several years, with input from CPhA, Kaiser and compounding pharmacists across the State. The full text of the regulation is available at the Board's website: www.pharmacy.ca.gov/laws_regs/regulations.shtml, under "Pending" regulations, "Beginning with section: 1716."
CPhA has provided comments to the Board several times since the initial draft of the compounding regulations were released. CPhA will be providing its final comments to the latest draft of the regulations for the meeting on the 24th. If you have any comments on the regulations, please provide them to the Board of Pharmacy by this Thursday.