05/07/2021 08:00 AM House LABOR & COMMERCE

       HB 58-CONTRACEPTIVES COVERAGE: INSURE; MED ASSIST                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:58:49 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS announced that the  final order of business would                                                               
be HOUSE BILL NO. 58, "An  Act relating to insurance coverage for                                                               
contraceptives   and  related   services;  relating   to  medical                                                               
assistance coverage for contraceptives  and related services; and                                                               
providing for an effective date."                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS opened public testimony on HB 58.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:59:11 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SERENE O'HARA  JOLLY testified  in support  of HB  58.   She said                                                               
that her  doctor recommended  oral birth  control and  that, even                                                               
though she had a prescription for  one year, she was only able to                                                               
access it  one month  at a  time.  She  said that  the medication                                                               
worked, but  that she  had to  tell her boss  why she  needed the                                                               
entire day  off to  drive from  an outlying  area to  a pharmacy.                                                               
She  said that  no  one  should have  to  tell  their boss  their                                                               
medical  information in  order  to  obtain an  already-prescribed                                                               
medication,  and that  she missed  a day  of work  each month  in                                                               
order  to fill  a  prescription  that was  deemed  both safe  and                                                               
necessary.   She  said  she  has been  told  that limiting  birth                                                               
control  refills  to  one  month  is  necessary  because  of  the                                                               
perception that  women lose  their birth  control pills,  a claim                                                               
she  described as  insulting, noting  that she  has been  allowed                                                               
multiple  months  of  other medications  by  the  same  insurance                                                               
company.  She pointed out that she  was lucky to live on the road                                                               
system and to have an understanding boss.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
10:02:02 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MORGAN LIM,  Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates,  testified in                                                               
support of HB 58.  He noted  that part of the Affordable Care Act                                                               
mandate is  that people have  affordable access  to contraceptive                                                               
care.  He said being forced  into monthly refills is a burden for                                                               
residents  of Alaska,  especially in  the aftermath  of COVID-19,                                                               
and the risk  of unintended pregnancy is increased.   He said one                                                               
in three  women have reported difficulty  in accessing consistent                                                               
birth control during the pandemic.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
10:03:39 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
JAN CAROLYN  HARDY testified  in support  of HB 58.   She  read a                                                               
statement,   which   read   as  follows   [original   punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Each year at my annual  physical my doctor goes over my                                                                    
     prescriptions  with me  to  confirm  use and  efficacy.                                                                    
     Each year if  I still want or need  the prescription my                                                                    
     doctor issues  a script for  12 months. Not  one month,                                                                    
     not six months. 12 months.  This is this cost effective                                                                    
     in  that I  do not  need to  meet with  my doctor  on a                                                                    
     monthly basis or  an every six month basis  in order to                                                                    
     get a refill of a standard, ongoing prescription.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Why should  this procedure be  any different  for birth                                                                    
     control prescriptions?                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Can  you  imagine  how   costly,  time  consuming,  and                                                                    
     oftentimes impossible  it is  to meet with  your doctor                                                                    
     every month? Think of child  care. Think of the expense                                                                    
     of  transportation.  Think  of unpaid  time  away  from                                                                    
     work.  Think  of access.  If  a  patient lives  in  the                                                                    
     villages  where  medical  attention is  negligible  how                                                                    
     could she possibly renew a  prescription if required to                                                                    
     meet with her doctor prior to receiving a script?                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Limiting access  to birth control  is draconian.  It is                                                                    
     oppressive   against   a   certain   segment   of   our                                                                    
     population.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Again, thank  you for your  attention. I am  in support                                                                    
     of HB 58.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
10:05:08 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
PATTY OWEN,  Policy and Advocacy Committee,  Alaska Public Health                                                               
Association,  testified in  support of  HB 58.   She  said HB  58                                                               
would  improve  health  care by  allowing  access  to  prescribed                                                               
medication  and  lowering  direct  health  care  costs,  allowing                                                               
individuals the  ability to  use contraceptives  consistently and                                                               
as prescribed.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
10:06:25 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
JACOB POWELL  testified in  support of  HB 58.   He said  that he                                                               
takes  medication and  was  recently able  to  move from  monthly                                                               
refills to an  extended period of time between  refills, a change                                                               
he  described as  "life-changing."    He said  that  when he  was                                                               
having to  refill every month, he  would miss work or  would have                                                               
to scramble  and pay out of  pocket if he  was out of state.   He                                                               
said  that  it's ridiculous  that  women  aren't able  to  access                                                               
contraceptives consistently.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
10:07:47 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
HEIDI ZIMMER testified in support of  HB 58.  She said that she's                                                               
disappointed,  but not  surprised, to  be well  into the  twenty-                                                               
first  century and  still be  debating access  to birth  control.                                                               
She said that  birth control allows couples and  families to make                                                               
choices  about family  structure and  timing, and  that requiring                                                               
monthly visits  for refills  is not feasible.   She  reminded the                                                               
committee  that contraceptives  aren't  dangerous, addictive,  or                                                               
sold on the black market, but  are basic medical care that should                                                               
be accessible.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
10:09:34 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
LYNETTE  PHAM testified  in  support of  HB 58.    She said  that                                                               
passing  HB  58   could  help  reduce  the   odds  of  unintended                                                               
pregnancy.   Those  living in  rural  areas, or  those who  can't                                                               
afford to travel monthly, would be helped by this legislation.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
10:10:31 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CANDACE CAHILL  testified in support of  HB 58.  She  pointed out                                                               
that many  people in  Alaska lack  access to  transportation, and                                                               
that  allowing consistent  access  to birth  control would  allow                                                               
families to plan children while saving month in the long run.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
10:11:51 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
VALORRAINE DATTAN testified  in support of HB 58.   She described                                                               
her health issues that are  alleviated by hormonal birth control,                                                               
and she spoke of the  importance of allowing consistent access to                                                               
prescribed medication.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
10:13:21 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ELIZABETH FIGUS  testified in support  of HB  58.  She  said that                                                               
she captains a commercial fishing  boat out of Sitka, and working                                                               
seven days a  week makes it difficult to access  care.  Having to                                                               
alter  schedules  for  something  as   simple  as  a  refill  for                                                               
prescribed medication  is frustrating and unnecessary.   She said                                                               
that  committee  members  should  understand  the  importance  of                                                               
economic efficiency,  and that HB  58 would save money  and time.                                                               
She  stated  that she  has  been  testifying  in support  of  the                                                               
proposed legislation since  2016, and that if it's  not passed in                                                               
2021, she'll be back to testify again.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
10:15:23 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
KRISTIN MAHLEN testified in support of  HB 58.  She said that she                                                               
spends her  time fishing out  of Cordova, and she  expressed that                                                               
it's  important  for women  to  access  prescribed medication  no                                                               
matter where they are working.   She said that family planning is                                                               
important  for  everyone,  including   the  state  and  insurance                                                               
companies,  and that  consistent access  to birth  control lowers                                                               
the risk of unintended pregnancy.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
10:16:55 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
GABE CANFIELD testified in support of  HB 58.  She said that safe                                                               
access to birth control is important.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
10:17:39 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS,  after ascertaining that  no one else  wished to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on HB 58.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
10:17:50 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  NELSON  asked  for clarification  on  the  fiscal                                                               
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
10:18:12 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
LIZZIE KUBITZ,  Staff, Representative  Matt Claman,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of Representative Claman,  prime sponsor,                                                               
deferred to Ms. Gayhart.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
10:18:31 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
RENEE  GAYHART,  Director,  Division  of  Health  Care  Services,                                                               
Department of  Health & Social  Services, said that  the proposed                                                               
legislation carries a  neutral fiscal note.  She  said that women                                                               
on Medicaid  are currently  eligible for either  a one  or three-                                                               
month supply, the  cost of which can be absorbed.   She said that                                                               
it's preferable to work on  the cost of implementation, which she                                                               
noted would  be "zero," and  look at claims  on the back  end for                                                               
opportunities for cost avoidance.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  NELSON pointed  out the  reference to  mail order                                                               
prescriptions on one of the fiscal notes.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS.  GAYHART replied  that there  are certain  prescriptions that                                                               
are available via mail, and that  they would be eligible under HB
.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON  said that the  fiscal note seems  to refer                                                               
to a contraceptive available in a 90-day supply.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS. GAYHART  clarified that birth  control pills may  be received                                                               
via mail.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
10:21:58 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS announced that HB 58 was held over.