Hawaii senator pushes prescription plan modeled after Maine’s

HONOLULU – As Maine moves forward on implementing a plan aimed at lowering prescription drug prices for the poor and uninsured, a key Hawaii lawmaker is calling for island officials to do the same.

Sen. Ron Menor, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, said Tuesday he was informed of Maine’s progress in a recent conference call.

“As Maine officials reaffirmed for me, in spite of legal hurdles that will still have to be addressed, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision clearly gives states such as Hawaii the green light to move ahead with our own program,” Menor said in a statement.

The high court on May 19 gave Maine the go-ahead to implement its Maine Rx program to negotiate directly with drug companies to try to bring down the cost of prescription medication for those who lack coverage.

An initiative known as Hawaii Rx, approved by the 2002 Legislature and scheduled to take effect July 1 of next year, was modeled after the Maine program.

Last week, Maine Gov. John Baldacci outlined a new plan aimed at improving Maine Rx and addressing some legal concerns.

The Maine Rx Plus plan establishes an income threshold of 350 percent of the federal poverty level, which means people who make less than that would be eligible to purchase certain drugs at the same price paid by Maine’s Medicaid program. The state also would be authorized to seek further discounts by entering into rebate agreements with drug manufacturers.

State officials said last week they expect to have Maine Rx Plus in operation later this year.

“Given the recent developments in the state of Maine, Hawaii should follow suit and move to implement our own Rx program,” Menor said.

He called for legislation to incorporate the Maine changes into the Hawaii Rx program, with the intention of having a bill ready in time for the 2004 Legislature.

Gov. Linda Lingle – who earlier this year announced a public-private partnership to help the poor and uninsured obtain prescriptions – has said the state should be more cautious in its approach.

The Supreme Court stopped short of any broad endorsement of the merits of Maine’s plan, ruling only that drug makers didn’t adequately show why the plan should be blocked.