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Insurance Department, PDAB present redundancy report on prescription‑drug data collection
Summary
The Insurance Department and the Prescription Drug Affordability Board told the committee a recent redundancy study found overlapping authority and data collection between agencies; PBM proprietary limits and new reporting under SB 555 complicate raw‑data access.
DJ Bettencourt, commissioner of the New Hampshire Insurance Department, and Kirk Williamson, executive director of the Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB), presented a redundancy elimination report to the oversight committee on Nov. 22.
Bettencourt said the study — produced in response to statutory direction — identified significant overlap between PDAB and the Insurance Department on prescription‑drug data collection, with roughly 80% consensus between the two entities on the report’s findings. He stressed that both agencies have access to the state All Claims Database (CHIS/APCD) and that PDAB may not need to collect redundant raw data. Bettencourt also highlighted legal limits: much PBM and manufacturer data is proprietary and disclosure could create personal liability for agency staff under existing law.
Williamson said PDAB voted to pursue memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with agencies and has an MOU with DHHS to access required data; PDAB plans to execute an MOU with the Insurance Department to coordinate work and reduce duplication. Bettencourt and Williamson said Senate Bill 555 strengthened the Insurance Department’s regulatory authority to obtain PBM reporting, but the legislative change also created new functional overlaps that the redundancy report catalogues.
Committee members asked about the practical implications of centralizing data collection and whether a single data warehouse model is feasible; Bettencourt and Williamson discussed tradeoffs in data access, legal protection for proprietary information and the need for technical capacity to analyze raw data.
No formal legislative action was taken at the hearing; several members said they are drafting bills to clarify roles and data storage responsibilities based on the report’s findings.
