Legislature(2025 - 2026)DAVIS 106
05/15/2025 03:15 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
Note: the audio ![]()
and video ![]()
recordings are distinct records and are obtained from different sources. As such there may be key differences between the two. The audio recordings are captured by our records offices as the official record of the meeting and will have more accurate timestamps. Use the icons to switch between them.
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB134 | |
| HB185 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 185 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 149 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 134 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
May 15, 2025
4:22 p.m.
DRAFT
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Genevieve Mina, Chair
Representative Andrew Gray
Representative Zack Fields
Representative Mike Prax
Representative Justin Ruffridge
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Donna Mears
Representative Rebecca Schwanke
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 134
"An Act relating to pharmacy benefits managers; relating to
third-party administrators; and providing for an effective
date."
- MOVED HCS SB 134(HSS) OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 185
"An Act relating to medical assistance eligibility for family
planning services; and providing for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE BILL NO. 149
"An Act relating to pharmacy benefits managers; relating to
third-party administrators; and providing for an effective
date."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 134
SHORT TITLE: PHARMACY BENEFITS MANAGER;3RD PARTY ADMIN
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) GIESSEL
03/18/25 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/18/25 (S) HSS, L&C
04/01/25 (S) HSS AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
04/01/25 (S) Heard & Held
04/01/25 (S) MINUTE(HSS)
04/03/25 (S) HSS AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
04/03/25 (S) Heard & Held
04/03/25 (S) MINUTE(HSS)
04/15/25 (S) HSS AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
04/15/25 (S) Moved SB 134 Out of Committee
04/15/25 (S) MINUTE(HSS)
04/18/25 (S) HSS RPT 4DP
04/18/25 (S) DP: DUNBAR, HUGHES, GIESSEL, TOBIN
04/30/25 (S) L&C AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
04/30/25 (S) Heard & Held
04/30/25 (S) MINUTE(L&C)
05/05/25 (S) L&C AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
05/05/25 (S) Moved SB 134 Out of Committee
05/05/25 (S) MINUTE(L&C)
05/07/25 (S) L&C RPT 4DP 1NR
05/07/25 (S) DP: BJORKMAN, DUNBAR, MERRICK, GRAY-
JACKSON
05/07/25 (S) NR: YUNDT
05/13/25 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H)
05/13/25 (S) VERSION: SB 134
05/13/25 (H) HSS AT 3:15 PM DAVIS 106
05/13/25 (H) <Pending Referral>
05/14/25 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
05/14/25 (H) HSS, L&C
05/15/25 (H) HSS AT 3:15 PM DAVIS 106
BILL: HB 185
SHORT TITLE: MEDICAL ASSISTANCE; FAMILY PLANNING
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) HALL
04/11/25 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
04/11/25 (H) HSS, FIN
05/06/25 (H) HSS AT 3:15 PM DAVIS 106
05/06/25 (H) Heard & Held
05/06/25 (H) MINUTE(HSS)
05/15/25 (H) HSS AT 3:15 PM DAVIS 106
WITNESS REGISTER
JANE ROHR, Staff
Senator Cathy Giessel
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented SB 134 on behalf of Senator
Giessel, prime sponsor.
REPRESENTATIVE CAROLYN HALL
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As prime sponsor, presented HB 185.
JJ JACKSON, Staff
Representative Carolyn Hall
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: On behalf of Representative Hall, prime
sponsor of HB 185, read the answers to previously asked
questions.
KRISTIN DELFINO, Division Operations Manager
Director's Office
Division of Healthcare Services
Department of Health
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the hearing on HB
185.
ACTION NARRATIVE
4:22:40 PM
CHAIR GENEVIEVE MINA called the House Health and Social Services
Standing Committee meeting to order at 4:22 p.m.
Representatives Ruffridge, Gray, Fields, and Mina were present
at the call to order. Representative Prax arrived as the
meeting was in progress.
SB 134-PHARMACY BENEFITS MANAGER;3RD PARTY ADMIN
4:23:14 PM
CHAIR MINA announced that the first order of business would be
SENATE BILL NO. 134, "An Act relating to pharmacy benefits
managers; relating to third-party administrators; and providing
for an effective date."
4:23:42 PM
JANE ROHR, Staff, Senator Cathy Giessel, Alaska State
Legislature, presented SB 134 on behalf of Senator Giessel,
prime sponsor. She stated that pharmacy benefit managers and
third-party administrators do business as intermediaries
"between insurance companies and pharmacies or consumers." Some
responsibilities include the negotiation of medication prices
and the processing of claims. She continued:
Current statute requires these entities to be
registered, which only allows for a basic level of
recognition. The purpose of this bill is to require
transparency and accountability for third-party
administrators and pharmacy benefit managers operating
in the state of Alaska, by requiring them to be
licensed and subject to oversight by the Division of
Insurance.
MS. ROHR, in conclusion, offered to answered questions.
4:24:31 PM
CHAIR MINA noted those available for questions and entertained
amendments.
4:24:47 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE moved to adopt Amendment 1 to SB 134,
labeled 34-LS0461\A.2, Wallace, 5/14/25, which read as follows:
Page 16, following line 13:
Insert a new bill section to read:
"* Sec. 32. AS 21.36.520(a) is amended to read:
(a) An insurer providing a health care insurance
policy or its pharmacy benefits manager may not
(1) interfere with a covered person's right
to choose a pharmacy or provider;
(2) interfere with a covered person's right
of access to a clinician-administered drug;
(3) interfere with the right of a pharmacy
or pharmacist to participate as a network pharmacy;
(4) reimburse a pharmacy or pharmacist an
amount less than the amount the pharmacy benefits
manager reimburses an affiliate for providing the same
pharmacy services, calculated on a per-unit basis
using the same generic product identifier or generic
code number;
(5) impose a reduction in reimbursement for
pharmacy services because of the person's choice among
pharmacies that have agreed to participate in the plan
according to the terms offered by the insurer or its
pharmacy benefits manager;
(6) use a covered person's pharmacy
services data collected under the provision of claims
processing services for the purpose of soliciting,
marketing, or referring the person to an affiliate of
the pharmacy benefits manager;
(7) prohibit or limit a pharmacy from
mailing, shipping, or delivering drugs to a patient as
an ancillary service; however, the insurer or its
pharmacy benefits manager
(A) is not required to reimburse a delivery
fee charged by a pharmacy unless the fee is specified
in the contract between the pharmacy benefits manager
and the pharmacy;
(B) may not require a patient signature as
proof of delivery of a mailed or shipped drug if the
pharmacy
(i) maintains a mailing or shipping log
signed by a representative of the pharmacy or keeps a
record of each notification of delivery provided by
the United States mail or a package delivery service;
and
(ii) is responsible for the cost of
mailing, shipping, or delivering a replacement for a
drug that was mailed or shipped but not received by
the covered person;
(8) prohibit or limit a network pharmacy
from informing an insured person of the difference
between the out-of-pocket cost to the covered person
to purchase a drug, medical device, or supply using
the covered person's pharmacy benefits and the
pharmacy's usual and customary charge for the drug,
medical device, or supply;
(9) conduct or participate in spread
pricing in the state;
(10) assess, charge, or collect a form of
remuneration that passes from a pharmacy or a
pharmacist in a pharmacy network to the pharmacy
benefits manager, including claim processing fees,
performance-based fees, network participation fees, or
accreditation fees;
(11) reverse and resubmit the claim of a
pharmacy more than 90 days after the date the claim
was first adjudicated, and may not reverse and
resubmit the claim of a pharmacy unless the insurer or
pharmacy benefits manager
(A) provides prior written notification to
the pharmacy;
(B) has just cause;
(C) first attempts to reconcile the claim
with the pharmacy; and
(D) provides to the pharmacy, at the time
of the reversal and resubmittal, a written description
that includes details of and justification for the
reversal and resubmittal;
(12) prohibit or limit a pharmacy from
collecting a fee from a covered person for a service
or product not covered by the covered person's health
care insurance policy."
Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.
CHAIR MINA objected for the purpose of discussion.
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE explained that there have been reports
of contracts or policies that do not allow a pharmacy to collect
a fee for additional services, such as delivery or adherence
packing, without risking termination of contract. The language
that would be added by adopting Amendment 1 would remedy that.
CHAIR MINA removed her objection.
4:26:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY objected. He asked who would pay.
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE clarified that Amendment 1 allows for a
service that is not already covered under the plan; therefore
the fee would be charged to the patient. In response to follow-
up questions from Representative Gray, Representative Ruffridge
noted that he, as a pharmacist, regularly mails prescriptions to
patients in remote areas or when items are difficult to obtain
from different locations. He noted that Amendment 1 would allow
a pharmacy to offer delivery service.
4:28:55 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY removed his objection. There being no
further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.
4:29:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY moved to report SB 134, as amended, out of
committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying
fiscal notes. There being no objection, HCSSB 134(HSS) was
reported out of the House Health and Social Services Standing
Committee.
4:29:37 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 4:29 p.m. to 4:31 p.m.
HB 185-MEDICAL ASSISTANCE; FAMILY PLANNING
4:31:26 PM
CHAIR MINA announced that the final order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 185, "An Act relating to medical assistance
eligibility for family planning services; and providing for an
effective date."
4:32:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CAROLYN HALL, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor of HB 185, reviewed that the proposed legislation would
create a family planning state plan amendment (SPA) that expands
Medicaid coverage to provide family planning services to
Alaskans. She highlighted that the proposed legislation would
turn the existing temporary 1115 waiver to a permanent SPA, one
benefit of which is that it would increase the number of
Alaskans eligible for family planning services to 225 percent of
the federal poverty level. She introduced her staff to respond
to questions asked at the previous hearing on HB 185.
4:33:32 PM
JJ JACKSON, Staff, Representative Carolyn Hall, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Hall, prime sponsor of
HB 185, read [from a handout available in the committee file]
responses to previous questions, which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
What are Family Planning Services?
...Alaska Administrative Code (AAC) 110.230(f) defines
"family planning services" as:
"Services and materials provided with the purpose of
postponing, avoiding, or terminating pregnancy;
includes the dispensing of birth control drugs and
devices for males and females, and the performance of
vasectomies, sterilizations, and abortions for the
purpose of avoiding or terminating pregnancy."
State Planning Amendments (SPA) are narrow branches of
Medicaid that provide specific services. In the case
of the Family Planning (FP) SPA, HB 185 would not
include abortion services. As stated on page 2, lines
10 and 11 of the bill, these services would be for
"individuals of child-bearing age who are not
pregnant."
Are there examples of other SPAs in other states?
According to a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) report,
thirty states have a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) waiver or SPA to cover FP services.
Alaska has expanded Medicaid with SPAs, with the
passage of HCS SB 58 in 2023, a bill sponsored by
Governor Dunleavy, regarding Medicaid eligibility for
postpartum mothers.
More information about Preterm Births
In a 2025 study conducted by Dr. Micah Hahn from UAA's
Institute of Circumpolar Health, there are a myriad of
factors that contribute to preterm births:
• Pre-pregnancy diabetes
• Hypertension
• Tobacco during pregnancy
• Less than eleven prenatal care visits
• Travelling for birth
• Inadequate prenatal care
More information regarding Congenital Syphilis in
Alaska
Based on information provided in a State of Alaska
Epidemiology Bulletin (which is provided in this
packet), "Congenital Syphilis (CS) is a form of
syphilis passed from the mother to the developing
fetus." CS has serious health risks, which include:
"neurologic or musculoskeletal disabilities or death
of the fetus." According to former Department of
Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink, CS is "A
completely preventable condition." Access to prenatal
care covered by an FP SPA could help decrease the
rates of CS in Alaska.
4:37:15 PM
CHAIR MINA opened public testimony on HB 185. After
ascertaining there was no one who wished to testify, she closed
public testimony.
4:37:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX noted that the bill specifies that the
family planning services would be for those who are not
pregnant. He asked for confirmation that that "eliminates
paying for abortion services."
REPRESENTATIVE HALL confirmed that is correct. In response to
follow-up comments, she spoke briefly about increasing access to
care, then she deferred to a representative from the Department
of Health (DOH).
4:40:37 PM
KRISTIN DELFINO, Division Operations Manager, Director's Office,
Division of Healthcare Services, Department of Health, stated
that she is not aware of any specific programs where "an
individual with congenital syphilis can come into a facility and
gain eligibility through that avenue." She said there are
programs for those who need hospitalization services where the
hospital can preemptively determine eligibility for a period of
time that must be verified through DOH's Division of Public
Assistance.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX concluded that that may be an issue for
another time but it is not the point of HB 185. He reiterated
his remark about abortion, noting that it would not be correct
to think the proposed legislation would cover it.
4:42:00 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HALL underlined that the emphasis of the bill is
for people who are not pregnant.
4:42:28 PM
MR. JACKSON proffered that family planning typically includes
abortion; however, an amendment passed by Congress in 1976 made
federal funding for abortion services illegal.
4:43:18 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 4:43 p.m.
4:44:00 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY asked, "Is there any way that this bill
could be used to fund abortions."
REPRESENTATIVE HALL answered, "Absolutely not."
4:44:29 PM
CHAIR MINA announced that HB 185 was held over.
CHAIR MINA announced this was the last meeting of the House
Health and Social Services Standing Committee for session 2025.
She thanked everyone. She expressed her goal of addressing
bills in the next session in 2016.
4:46:12 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Health and Social Services Standing Committee meeting was
adjourned at 4:46 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 185 Response to HHSS 5.6.25.pdf.pdf |
HHSS 5/15/2025 3:15:00 PM |
HB 185 |
| HB 185 Supporting Document State of Alaska Bulletin 2021.pdf |
HHSS 5/15/2025 3:15:00 PM |
HB 185 |
| HB 185 Supporting Document-Alaska Beacon Article 5.14.2025.pdf |
HHSS 5/15/2025 3:15:00 PM |
HB 185 |
| HB 185 Supporting Document-BMJ Public Health Article 5.14.2025.pdf |
HHSS 5/15/2025 3:15:00 PM |
HB 185 |
| HB 185 Supporting Document-KFF Article 5.14.2025.pdf |
HHSS 5/15/2025 3:15:00 PM |
HB 185 |
| HB 185 Supporting Document State of Alaska Epidemiology Bulletin 2024.pdf |
HHSS 5/15/2025 3:15:00 PM |
HB 185 |
| HB 185 DOH Response Definition of Family Planning Services 05.09.25.pdf |
HHSS 5/15/2025 3:15:00 PM |
HB 185 |
| SB 134 A.2.pdf |
HHSS 5/15/2025 3:15:00 PM |
SB 134 |