04/23/2019 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

          SB 37-RENEWAL OF VACCINE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:14:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY announced the first  order of business would be                                                               
CS  FOR  SENATE  BILL  NO.  37(FIN),  "An  Act  relating  to  the                                                               
statewide immunization  program; and  providing for  an effective                                                               
date."                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:14:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR CATHY  GIESSEL, Alaska State  Legislature, sponsor  of SB
, paraphrased  from the  following sponsor  statement [original                                                               
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Senate Bill 37  reauthorizes the statewide immunization                                                                    
     program  in   the  Department  of  Health   and  Social                                                                    
     Services,  which is  scheduled  for  repeal January  1,                                                                    
     2021.  Established in  2014, via  Senate Bill  169, the                                                                    
     program   monitors,  purchases   and  distributes   all                                                                    
     childhood  vaccines   and  select  adult   vaccines  to                                                                    
     providers, making access to  vaccines universal for all                                                                    
     Alaskans.  By  2018,  the  program  covered  more  than                                                                    
     333,000 Alaskans,  45 percent of the  total population.                                                                    
     Next  to  clean  drinking  water  and  good  nutrition,                                                                    
     vaccines have  saved more lives  than any  other public                                                                    
     health   intervention.   The   statewide   immunization                                                                    
     program   is  fully   funded  by   the  state   Vaccine                                                                    
     Assessment Account  through assessments  (upfront fees)                                                                    
     from   health  plans   and  insurers.   There  are   no                                                                    
     undesignated  general funds  needed  for this  program.                                                                    
     The  state  leverages  its  buying  power  to  purchase                                                                    
     vaccines  in   bulk  using  the  fees   collected  from                                                                    
     healthcare payers.  The state distributes  that vaccine                                                                    
     to  providers who  then administer  them at  no charge,                                                                    
     improving health  and wellbeing while  lowering overall                                                                    
     vaccine costs by 20 -30  percent. Through the statewide                                                                    
     immunization program,  Alaska continues  to demonstrate                                                                    
     leadership   in  creating   innovative  solutions   for                                                                    
     difficult  public   health  issues.   Out  of   the  11                                                                    
     universal  vaccine  purchase  programs  in  the  United                                                                    
     States, Alaska is the only  state to allow providers to                                                                    
     receive  state supplied  vaccine for  uninsured adults,                                                                    
     enabling  greater  vaccine  access for  Alaska  adults.                                                                    
     Alaska's  immunization  program  is  an  example  of  a                                                                    
     successful  public-private   partnership  that  ensures                                                                    
     Alaskans  a healthier  future  at  the lowest  possible                                                                    
     cost.  The  department  reduces vaccine  -  preventable                                                                    
     diseases, and  providers have improved  health outcomes                                                                    
     for   their   patients   and   easier   vaccine   stock                                                                    
     management.   The  insurers   pay  less   to  vaccinate                                                                    
     individuals; we  all save  more money  in the  long run                                                                    
     due   to   decreased   medical  costs   from   vaccine-                                                                    
     preventable diseases.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GISSEL  further  explained   the  original  program  was                                                               
voluntary,  therefore,  the  bill  removes  the  term  "phase  in                                                               
program over a  three-year period" and provisions  for opting out                                                               
of the program.  She said  the program has been highly successful                                                               
and  uses  no general  funds.    Senator  Gissel noted  there  is                                                               
virtually no opposition  to the bill albeit,  initially, the bill                                                               
was opposed because the program  includes vaccines for adults and                                                               
children.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:17:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY opened public testimony on SB 37.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:18:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KEN  HELANDER,   Alaska  Director   of  Advocacy,   AARP  Alaska,                                                               
expressed  AARP  Alaska's  continuing support  for  the  original                                                               
program and  for SB 37.   The assessment program is  a proven and                                                               
effective   model   for   cost   containment,   efficiency,   and                                                               
sensitivity  to rural  needs.   Also,  AARP  Alaska supports  the                                                               
inclusion of adults  in the program because  not being vaccinated                                                               
is a threat  to the health of  older adults.  He  said the public                                                               
health  interests  of  the  state are  served  by  a  coordinated                                                               
universal  vaccine  access  program;  in  addition,  AARP  Alaska                                                               
believes the program gives more  flexibility to the [commissioner                                                               
of  the  Department of  Health  and  Social Services  (DHSS)]  in                                                               
response to  an outbreak  of communicable  disease.   He restated                                                               
AARP Alaska's support for the passage of the bill.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:19:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY,  after ascertaining  no one further  wished to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:19:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR  moved to report [CSSB  37(FIN)], labeled 31-                                                               
LS0162\S, out  of committee  with individual  recommendations and                                                               
the accompanying fiscal  notes.  There being  no objection, [CSSB
(FIN)]  was  reported  out  of  the  House  Health  and  Social                                                               
Services Standing Committee.