(a) As a condition for the participation of a pharmacy in the Medi-Cal program pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, the pharmacy, upon presentation of a valid prescription for the patient and the patient’s Medicare card, shall charge Medicare beneficiaries a price that does not exceed the Medi-Cal reimbursement rate for prescription medicines, and an amount, as set by the State Department of Health Care Services to cover electronic transmission charges. However, Medicare beneficiaries shall not be allowed to use the Medi-Cal reimbursement rate for over-the-counter medications or compounded prescriptions.
(b) The State Department of Health Care Services shall provide a mechanism to calculate and transmit the price to the pharmacy, but shall not apply the Medi-Cal drug utilization review process for purposes of this section.
(c) The State Department of Health Care Services shall monitor pharmacy participation with the requirements of subdivision (a).
(d) The State Department of Health Care Services shall conduct an outreach program to inform Medicare beneficiaries of their right to participate in the program described in subdivision (a), including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) Including on its Internet Web site the Medi-Cal reimbursement rate for, at minimum, 200 of the most commonly prescribed medicines and updating this information monthly.
(2) Providing a sign to participating pharmacies that the pharmacies shall prominently display at the point of service and at the point of sale, reminding the Medicare beneficiaries to ask that the charge for their prescription be the same amount as the Medi-Cal reimbursement rate and providing the department’s telephone number, e-mail address, and Internet Web site address to access information about the program.
(e) If prescription drugs are added to the scope of benefits available under the federal Medicare program, the Senate Office of Research shall report that fact to the appropriate committees of the Legislature. It is the intent of the Legislature to evaluate the need to continue the implementation of this article under those circumstances.
(f) This section shall not apply to a prescription that is covered by insurance.
(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 653, Sec. 34. (SB 1489) Effective January 1, 2011.)
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