CoChairs:

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Co-Chairs Representative Sharon Cissna Senator
Donny Olson
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Getting to the Heart of Prescription Drugs
Wednesday, February 15, 2006 Butrovich Rm. State
Capitol Noon to 1PM
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Agenda

• Getting to the Heart of Prescription Drugs
• February 15, 2006
• Introductions/Opening Remarks
  Rep. Sharon Cissna
  and Senator Donny Olson
• Changes in Regulations Affecting Alaska
  Dwayne Peeples, Director, AK Health Care
  Services
• Senior Coverage -
  Todd Myers, PPARx
• Medicare Part D John George, Medicare
  Today
• From the Pharmacists Perspective Gerry
  Brown, Fairbanks Pharmacist Barry
  Christensen, Island Pharmacy, Ketchikan Dirk
  White, Harry Race Pharmacy, Sitka Bill
  Altland, Whale Tale Pharmacy, Craig
• Telepharmacy for Rural Areas - Richard
  Moore, Primary Care Association
• Transparency in Pharmaceutical Costs - Rep.
  David Guttenberg
• Access to Psychotropic Drugs Alexander von
  Hafften, Jr., MD., Alaska Psychiatric Association

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Dwayne Peeples Director of Alaska Health Care
Services, DHSS
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Because millions of people need help paying for
medicine
Todd Myers, PPARx Alaska
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What is the Partnership for Prescription
Assistance?

• The Partnership for Prescription Assistance
  brings together many partners help low-income,
  uninsured patients get free or nearly free
  medicines, including
• Americas Pharmaceutical Companies
• Health Care Providers
• Patient Advocacy Organizations
• Civic Groups
• The Partnership offers a single point of access
  to more than 475 public and private patient
  assistance programs, covering over 2500
  prescription medicines.
• The Partnership is dedicated to increasing
  awareness of and enrollment in existing patient
  assistance programs for those who may be eligible.

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The Web Site
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Add each medicine
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Answer a few questions
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Get results!
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A growing partnership

• Over 70 national partnerships - the American
  Academy of Family Physicians, NAACP, United Way,
  National Medical Association, National Alliance
  for Hispanic Health, and more - are joining every
  day
• Over 1,000 state and local organizations have
  joined the effort, as well.
• Here in Alaska, partners include the League of
  Women Voters of Anchorage, the American Diabetes
  Association, the American Heart Association and
  many others.

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For more information
www.pparxak.org 1-888-4PPA-NOW(1-888-477-2669)
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John George Of Medicare Today
Discussion of Medicare Part D
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Video of John George speaking about Medicare Part
D
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Not everyone needs Medicare Part D coverage If
you are already covered by a health insurance
plan that is better than Medicare Part D, you
need not go any further. State and federal
employees already have better coverage.
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If you are not covered by a plan, are covered by
a plan that is not as beneficial as Medicaid Part
D or if you were automatically assigned randomly
by Medicare to a Part D plan, you should look at
Part D options to select a plan that best suits
your needs
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When to sign up Seniors should already abe
receiveing benefits if they had signed up by
December 31. They may still sign up until May 15
and still receive the lowest net cost. After May
15, they will pay more. 1 more for each month
they delay enrollment.
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• How to choose a plan
• Develop a list of drugs you take.
• Decide where you will purchase your
  prescriptions.
• Contact that pharmacy to see what plans they have
  a contract with.
• Select the plan that best suits your needs.

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What the pharmacists have to say
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Gerry Brown Fairbanks Pharmacist
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Barry Christensen, Pharmacist and owner of
Island Pharmacy, Ketchikan
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Dirk White, Pharmacist and owner of Harry
Race Pharmacy, Sitka
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Bill Altland, Pharmacist The Whale Tale
Pharmacy, Craig
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Richard Moore, PA-C Clinical Programs
Specialist The Clinical Programs
Specialist assists Community Health Centers in
their efforts to provide quality health services
by sharing resources, tools, policies and
procedures and serving as liaison for members
with state and federal entities. Richard also
serves at the Project Coordinator for the
Diabetes Prevention and Control Program via a
grant from the State of Alaska Health and Social
Services.
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Tele-Pharmacyin Alaska Access and Economics
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Access Rural vs. Urban

• Total Population AK. 655,435
• Total Urban Population 488,537
• Total Rural Population 116,898
• Total Pharmacies in AK 117
• Total Pharmacies - Urban 90
• Total Pharmacies - Rural 37

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Economic Impact in Alaska

• Total of Prescriptions filled 4,255,867
• Total retail Sales 298,230,229
• Average Cost Per Prescription 70.00
• Delivery to Bush Cost of Drug Postage and
• Insurance charge for orders over 50.00
• Data based on 2004 Calendar year

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Economic Disparities

• of Alaskans 100 below the FPL 61,482
• of Alaskans 101-200 of FPL 106,146

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Tele-pharmacy

• Pre-packed dispensing machine
• Visual contact with registered pharmacists via
  video conferencing

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Tele-Pharmacy The Benefits

• Maximize pharmacist and staff efficiency
• Enhance accuracy and reduce costly medication
  errors
• Control medication costs
• Simplify and speed prescription dispensing
• Increase or expand pharmacy services without the
  substantial cost of operating a traditional
  brick and mortar pharmacy

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Transparency in Pharmaceutical Costs
Representative David Guttenberg Distrist 8,
Fairbanks
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• Some possible solutions
• Form a Prescription Drug Task Force
• Have DHSS conduct a study on providing discounted
  prescription drugs to those not covered by a
  plan.
• Examine prescription drug companies marketing
  costs.
• Give pharmacists the ability to dispense generic
  medication.
• Give the State power to purchase prescription
  drugs at discounted prices.

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Alexander von Hafften, Jr. MD
Access to Psychotropic Drugs
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Co-Chairs, Sen. Donny Olson and Rep. Sharon
Cissna thank you for participating in the
Legislative Health Caucus. A copy of this
powerpoint can be found on our website
www.akdemocrats.cissna.org The audio file of
todays program can be found at
http//www.ktoo.org/gavel/audio.cfm. (type in the
date of this Caucus). For more information,
please call 1-800-922-3785
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Getting to the Heart of Prescription Drugs
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• NOTES Re Medicare Part D
• 11,400 Alaskans (dual eligible) will be covered
  under Medicaid Part D 30,000 qualify for
  Medicare.
• If people already have a prescription drug plan
  through an employer, they should not necessarily
  switch.
• 11 companies, multiple plans for coverage,
  databases are bumpy in terms of collecting the
  correct info from individuals.
• Pharmacies have to make contracts with the
  insurance companies in order to get paid.
• Some peoples prescriptions may not be covered by
  each plan.
• PPARx is a program that assists clients in
  determining the plans that would be best suited
  to meet clients prescription needs.
• Even though you dont require many Rx drugs now,
  in the future your needs may change.
• Clients need to check w/their pharmacy to see if
  they have a contract w/their chosen plan.

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• NOTES Pharmacists comments
• Seniors need information about how to choose a
  plan, how to take medications properly,
  understanding side effects and drug interactions.
• Need to standardize forms in insurance process
  and to develop a streamlined process for
  enrolling in each of the different insurance
  programs.
• Need for streamlined system and standardized
  system.
• Emphasis needs to be on how to properly use
  drugs, not just how to get them.

• NOTES Other
• Rep. Guttenberg has introduced seven pieces of
  legislation that address access, delivery
  systems, and reduced costs of Rx drugs. He wants
  to form a Prescription Drug Task Force to look at
  cost reduction/access issues. Also wants to
  examine possibility of Alaska pooling with other
  states to purchase Rx drugs at reduced prices.
• Dr. von Hafften emphasized that quality care does
  not necessarily translate into higher costs.
  Client case exemplified confusion over mandating
  drug substitutions (generic) sometimes with
  psychotropic drugs, they cause adverse side
  effects.