Solicitation, improper inducement to use goods, facilities, services, or products covered by insurance
SECTION 130.
Said section 3 of said chapter 175H, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by adding the following 3 subsections:-
(b)(1) This section shall not apply to any discount or free product vouchers that a retail pharmacy provides to a consumer in connection with a pharmacy service, item or prescription transfer offer or to any discount, rebate, product voucher or other reduction in an individual's out-of-pocket expenses, including co-payments and deductibles, on: (i) any biological product as defined in section 351 of the Public Health Service Act, 42 USC 262, or (ii) any prescription drug provided by a pharmaceutical manufacturing company, as defined in section 1 of chapter 111N, that is made available to an individual if the discount, rebate, product voucher or other reduction is provided directly or electronically to the individual or through a point of sale or mail-in rebate, or through similar means; provided, however, that a pharmaceutical manufacturing company shall not exclude or favor any pharmacy in the redemption of such discount, rebate, product voucher or other expense reduction offer to a consumer.
(2) Pharmaceutical manufacturing companies shall be prohibited from offering any discount, rebate, product voucher or other reduction in an individual's out-of-pocket expenses, including co-payments and deductibles, for any prescription drug that has an AB rated generic equivalent as determined by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
(c) Subsection (b) shall not: (i) restrict a pharmaceutical manufacturing company with regard to how it distributes a prescription drug, biologic or vaccine; (ii) restrict a carrier or a health maintenance organization, as defined in section 1 of chapter 118G, with regard to how its plan design will treat such discounts, rebates, product voucher or other reduction in out-of-pocket expenses; or (iii) affect the obligations of practitioners and pharmacists pursuant to the generic substitution statute as defined in section 12D of chapter 112.
(d) For purposes of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, hereinafter referred to as HIPAA, and regulations promulgated under HIPAA, nothing in this section shall be deemed to require or allow the use or disclosure of health information in any manner that does not otherwise comply with HIPAA or regulations promulgated under HIPAA.