Complete Story
HB 37, Expansion of Ohio’s Emergency Refill Law, Effective on June 1!
On June 1, 2022, House Bill 37 will take effect which expands upon Ohio’s current emergency dispensing laws. Current law allows a pharmacist to dispense certain refills of patient’s medication one time within a 12-month period if a prescription does not provide for a refill or the time permitted for the refill has expired.
House Bill 37 expands this provision to allow for a refill up to three times per 12-month period. However, there are limits on the second and third refills.
First Refill: A pharmacist is authorized to dispense a 30-day supply of the drug based on the original prescription or, if the drug’s standard dispensing unit is greater than a 30-day supply, not more than the standard unit.
Second or Third Refill: A pharmacist is authorized to dispense a seven-day supply or, if the drug is packaged in a manner that provides more than a seven-day supply, the lowest available supply.
Additionally, House Bill 37 requires insurers to cover the cost of the emergency refill if the prescription drug is covered by the insurer when the drug is dispensed under a prescription. An insurer is also prohibited from imposing cost-sharing requirements on a drug dispensed without a prescription that are greater than those imposed on a drug dispensed under a prescription.
“OPA applauds Representative Gayle Manning on her commitment to ensuring that Ohioans have access to their life saving medications”, said Ernie Boyd. “Although emergency dispensing is relatively rare, it is critical that patients who need these drugs to live have reasonable access.”
Access House Bill 37 here. Please feel free to contact a member of OPA’s Legislative Team if you have any questions:
Ernie Boyd: eboyd@ohiopharmacists.org
Michelle Fitzgibbon: michelle@fitzgibbongroup.com
Dan Fitzpatrick: dan@fitzgibbongroup.com
