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Committee lays over bill to require MA coverage for pharmacist-provided services
Summary
House File 2909 would require Medical Assistance coverage for health services furnished by credentialed pharmacists and supervised pharmacy technicians; sponsors told the committee the change would sustain pharmacy access and expand care in community settings.
Representative Bonner presented House File 2909 to the Health Finance and Policy Committee to extend Medicaid (MA) coverage to services provided by credentialed pharmacists and supervised pharmacy technicians under their scope of practice.
Why it matters: Pharmacy advocates told the committee that pharmacists already provide a growing range of clinical services — including chronic disease medication management, vaccine and medication administration, test-and-treat services and select prescribing — and that Medicaid coverage would make those services financially sustainable, particularly for rural and independent pharmacies.
Testimony: Dr. Sarah Westberg, a pharmacist and associate dean at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, testified on behalf of the Minnesota Pharmacy Alliance and described services the bill would target for coverage. Representative Bonner and testifiers said the same policy for commercial payers passed last year; this bill would extend coverage to MA and Medicare patients. The author estimated last session’s fiscal note at about $4.5 million; a new fiscal note has been requested and the author said clarifications in the current draft could reduce the estimate.
Members asked about cost and staffing; Dr. Westberg said community pharmacies are already delivering these services but limited payment makes scale unsustainable. Representative O’Hara closed in support, noting pharmacies’ role in access. The committee laid House File 2909 over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
