In Washington, the D.C. Council approved a bill that requires health plans to authorize the dispensing of up to 12 months of a woman’s prescription for contraception at one time. The legislation was signed by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) in June but won’t apply to health plans until Jan. 1, 2017.
In Oregon, lawmakers enacted similar legislation (House Bill 3343) that requires health insurers to pay for a 12-month supply of the birth control pill, patch, or the ring at one time. The new law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2016. The Oregon Medical Association, which supported the bill, said that the ability for women to get a 12-month supply of birth control at one time would ease administrative burdens for medical office staff, patients, and pharmacists by lessening refill requests.
In July, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) also approved a related law House Bill 2879, which permits pharmacists in Oregon to prescribe hormonal contraceptive patches and self-administered oral contraceptives. The State Board of Pharmacy will develop rules for how the new system will work, but the law specifies that pharmacists must complete a training program for prescribing hormonal contraceptives, and it requires patients to use a self-screening risk assessment tool before they can receive a prescription. For minors, the law requires evidence of a previous prescription for hormonal contraceptives. The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2016.
In California, expanded pharmacist scope of practice legislation known as SB 493 was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown (D) on Oct. 1, 2013, and it became effective on Jan. 1, 2014. One of the law’s provisions enables pharmacists to furnish self-administered contraceptives according to standards developed by the California State Board of Pharmacy and the Medical Board of California.
However, this provision is still in the administrative rule-making process, said Sarah McBane, Pharm.D., president of the California Pharmacists Association. According to the original legislation, patients will be required to use a self-screening tool to identify risk factors.