Requires prescription drug manufacturers to file a detailed, updated list of each pharmaceutical sales representative engaged by the manufacturer and to pay an annual fee for each name listed with the department of business regulation.
Caps the total amount that a covered person is required to pay for a covered prescription inhaler, prescription device, or prescription equipment to twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per thirty (30) day supply.
Maddy summaryHB 5433 amends Rhode Island's Health Care Reform Act to strengthen oversight of health insurance. It requires the health insurance commissioner to hold quarterly public meetings on insurer rates and services, establish an advisory council with consumer and business representatives to address small business insurance affordability, and analyze the impact of merging individual and small-employer insurance markets. The advisory council must produce annual reports on topics like provider fee transparency, claim processes, and data on quality and costs to help consumers make informed choices. These provisions directly affect health insurers, small businesses, and healthcare providers by increasing accountability and transparency in insurance regulation.
Maddy summaryHB 5254 requires pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to reimburse pharmacists for prescription drugs at a minimum of the national average cost pharmacies pay to acquire drugs plus a dispensing fee equal to Rhode Island's current Medicaid rate for such services. If the national average cost is unavailable, PBMs must pay the wholesale acquisition cost plus the same dispensing fee. This bill directly affects PBMs and pharmacies in Rhode Island by establishing clear reimbursement standards and mandating transparency in financial arrangements. It also authorizes the Health Insurance Commissioner to impose fines of up to $10,000 per violation for non-compliance, aiming to ensure fair compensation and competitive practices.
Requires the secretary of the executive office of health and human services to monitor and mandate changes to the price-setting practices of pharmacy benefit managers to prohibit the spread pricing payment model.
Establishes the commuter transportation benefit chapter. Employers with five hundred (500) or more employees would be required to establish a pre-tax commuter transportation fringe benefit program.
Allows on and after September 1, 2025, an owner of motor vehicle(s) to transfer ownership and registration of said vehicle on their death, by a certificate of title designation and requires DMV to amend title forms, to include transfer-on-death language.
Maddy summaryHB 5626 requires most health insurance plans in the state to cover FDA-approved contraceptive drugs, devices, and related services without cost-sharing (like copays or deductibles). It directly affects individuals with health insurance plans by mandating coverage for specific methods - including emergency contraception, long-acting prescriptions (up to 12 months), sterilization, counseling, and follow-up care - while excluding male condoms and oral contraceptives without therapeutic equivalents. Insurers must cover at least one FDA-approved option per method category without cost-sharing, though they may offer multiple options with cost-sharing if one remains free. The law excludes experimental treatments and Medicare supplemental plans, and ensures coverage applies equally to spouses and dependents.
Maddy summaryThis non-binding resolution urges Rhode Island's federal lawmakers (Senators Reed and Whitehouse, and Representatives Magaziner and Amo) to demand that the President reverse policies harming health programs. It specifically calls for reinstating U.S. support for global health initiatives like WHO and PEPFAR, restoring CDC and NIH funding and reporting (including the MMWR), ending restrictions on reproductive health services, and unfreezing Medicaid grants. The resolution targets actions taken under the Trump administration that disrupted HIV treatment, halted disease research, and reduced public health transparency. As a procedural resolution, it does not create new law but formally requests action from the state's congressional delegation.
Takes several measures to lead by example by banning state purchases of plastic bottles, and requires state funds to be used to lease or purchase electric vehicles and renewable energy efficient technologies for use on state property.
