Medicaid Drug Reform Proposal Back for Round Two

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) More than 30 states have adopted a preferred drug list from which doctors can prescribe for their Medicaid patients. The lists allow states to band together and save millions of dollars buying in bulk from drug companies. But last time the proposal came before Utah lawmakers, they flatly refused. This time around State Senator Allen Christensen thinks he can change their minds:

"I was on the committee last year when we heard it, I was in favor of it then," says Christensen. "But the way that it was presented, I didn't feel gave it the adequate hearing it needed to have. The preferred drug list should be a slam dunk."

Critical lawmakers worry that restricting doctors to a list of approved drugs will be bad for patients. Others say there isn't enough proof that a preferred drug list - or PDL - saves costs. Judi Hilman of the Utah Health Policy Project estimates the list would save Utah ten to twenty million dollars a year. The list would be compiled by a committee of pharmacy experts, doctors and patients who carefully review medical research and recommend the most effective drug for a given condition - regardless of cost. As a result, Hilman says a PDL would be safer for patients:

"What happened with Vioxx is a telltale example," says Hilman. "Doctors were prescribing it largely based on advertising hype. If you had a preferred drug list, you would have a Drug Utilization Board saying 'Hey, wait a minute. Is it really a proven advantage to take Vioxx over an older class of drug?'"

Doctors could still override the list if a patient has specific needs that can't be met by the preferred drug. The Utah Department of Health has repeatedly requested legislative support for a PDL as a means of managing drug costs which are the fastest growing portion of the state's burgeoning Medicaid budget.

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