Patient Choice Of Pharmacy

The bill prohibits a carrier that offers or issues a health benefit plan that covers pharmaceutical services, including prescription drug coverage, or a pharmacy benefit management firm managing those benefits for a carrier, from:

• Limiting or restricting a covered person's ability to select a pharmacy or pharmacist of the covered person's choice if certain conditions are met;
• Imposing a copayment, fee, or other cost-sharing requirement for selecting a pharmacy of the covered person's choosing;
• Imposing other conditions on a covered person, pharmacist, or pharmacy that limit or restrict a covered person's ability to use a pharmacy of the covered person's choosing; or
• Denying a pharmacy or pharmacist the right to participate in any of its pharmacy network contracts in this state or as a contracting provider in this state if the pharmacy or pharmacist has a valid license in Colorado and the pharmacy or pharmacist agrees to specified conditions.
  (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)