State of the States

New Jersey - Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed A3292 into law. Starting February 1, 2020, all opioid prescriptions will be required to include warning stickers advertising the risk of addiction and overdose. The Department of Health and Board of Pharmacy will take on the responsibility of developing the specific language of the label.

Pennsylvania - On July 12, HB 1005 was filed with the Pennsylvania Senate and is expected to pass with flying colors. The bill provides expanded mental health coverage for first responders and provides access to prescription information through the state’s PDMP for health care providers.

New Hampshire - Late last week, New Hampshire’s Governor Chris Sununu (R) signed into law HB 359, which states that beginning January 1, 2020 pharmacists will be required to apply an orange label on the cap of prescription bottles that contain an opioid. A similar law went into effect in Arizona last year. Last night, the Ohio legislature finally passed the BWC operating budget bill. The bill, which was surrounded by controversy over the last few months, was amended before final passage to remove language that would have provided PTSD coverage for first responders. HB 5537 was signed by Governor Gina Raimondo (D) last week. The act restricts initial opioid prescriptions for adults and minors to a 7-day supply.

Connecticut - The Senate unanimously passed HB 7159 on Wednesday. Governor Ned Lamont (D) put forth the bill that now requires prescribers to establish treatment agreements with patients who need an opioid prescription for more than 12 weeks.

National - On Friday, the House of Representatives voted to pass a bipartisan bill, 402 to 12, to increase funding for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) by $10.2 billion to provide lifetime benefits to first responders and volunteers. But unfortunately, the bill is currently trapped in the hands of the Senate.

Industry News - The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) released a new report on the impact of the gig economy on workers’ compensation. Throughout their study they discovered that the number of workers falling outside of the worker’s comp system is expected to grow in the coming years and may begin to pull workers from the traditional workforce, exempting them from workers’ comp coverage.

Article of Interest - The New York Times conducted a study that found a 5% decrease in opioid overdose deaths. An article from VOX stated that although this is great news, readers need to take the information with a grain of salt. The article suggests readers should understand that the data may change and that opioid overdoses have seen fluctuations every year and therefore is still an issue America needs to be aware of.

By Danielle Jaffee

Courtesy of Injured Workers Pharmacy Blog

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