05/17/2003 12:46 PM House RLS

SB 109-MEDICAID COST CONTAINMENT & PRIORITY LIST                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR ROKEBERG announced  that the final order  of business would                                                               
be  HOUSE CS  FOR  SENATE  BILL NO.  109(RLS)(efd  fld), "An  Act                                                               
repealing the statute that sets  priorities for the Department of                                                               
Health  and Social  Services to  apply to  administration of  the                                                               
medical  assistance program  when  there  are insufficient  funds                                                               
allocated in the  state budget for that  program; and authorizing                                                               
the  department  to  make cost  containment  decisions  that  may                                                               
include decisions  about eligibility of persons  and availability                                                               
of services under the medical assistance program."                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Number 1584                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL  moved to adopt  HCS CSSB 109,  Version I,                                                               
Lauterbach,  5/17/03, as the working document.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  ROKEBERG objected  for discussion  purposes.   He directed                                                               
the committee's attention to page 2,  line 7, which is the intent                                                               
language.   One sentence  has been added  to the  intent language                                                               
and  it  reads  as  follows:   "The  legislature  encourages  the                                                               
department  to  develop case  management  systems  or tools  that                                                               
allow  for the  comparison of  cost savings  associated with  the                                                               
preferred   drug    list   or   alternative    cost   containment                                                               
methodologies."   This  language  further expands  on the  intent                                                               
language such that alternatives to  the preferred drug list could                                                               
be  reviewed.   These  alternatives  include  the intensive  case                                                               
management system.   Chair  Rokeberg clarified,  "This in  no way                                                               
changes anything  in the statute  nor is it intended  to increase                                                               
costs.  It  is merely putting the department on  notice that they                                                               
should have  their act  together and look  at other  methods when                                                               
they're  developing   their  program,  which  is   allowed  under                                                               
statute."                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  ROKEBERG removed  his  objection.   There  being no  other                                                               
objection, Version I was before the committee.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 1672                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  McGUIRE  moved to  report  HCS  CSSB 109  out  of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal notes.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KERTTULA  objected and  specified, "I  don't think                                                               
this is the right  way to go with doing the  options list and the                                                               
cuts like this."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
A roll  call vote  was taken.   Representatives  McGuire, Morgan,                                                               
Coghill, and  Rokeberg voted in  favor of reporting HCS  CSSB 109                                                               
out of committee.  Representatives  Berkowitz, Kerttula, and Kott                                                               
voted against it.  Therefore,  HCS CSSB 109(RLS) was reported out                                                               
of the House Rules Standing Committee by a vote of 4-3.