GIC staff say Vida/VITA rollout will include a 90‑day grace period; commissioners press for clearer member outreach

Deputy Executive Director Erica Schiavelli told commissioners the Vida/VITA program implementation is scheduled for Jan. 1 and that staff have established a member landing page, a GIC‑specific Vida phone line, and FAQs. "Once a member enrolls, those kind of follow‑up communications will stop," Erica said, and she added there is a 90‑day grace period to allow members to enroll without abrupt interruption to existing prescriptions.

Several commissioners, led by Vice Chair Bobby Kaplan, reported that GIC members were calling elected officials and staff saying they had received no information and feared losing access to GLP‑1 prescriptions. "People are really beginning to panic," Kaplan said, urging staff to distribute clear written instructions and to confirm what pharmacies such as CVS are telling members at point of sale.

Erica said staff mailed materials and would provide commissioners with the Vida landing‑page link, the GIC hotline, and an FAQ. She also said Vita implementation calls include pharmacy partners and that staff will follow up with commissioners and provide the materials for their outreach.

Commissioners pressed staff for continued tracking of enrollment and for outreach to groups likely to be affected: the Commission discussed that roughly 17,000–18,000 members are currently prescribed GLP‑1s for weight loss and noted risks of a drop‑off in coverage if members do not enroll in the program. Commissioners asked staff to bring disruption reports and enrollment metrics to the next meeting.

Staff reiterated that the program launch was intended to be gradual and that denial messages at pharmacies during the grace period would direct members back to Vida for enrollment steps rather than immediately blocking access.