The bill amends the "Pharmacies" chapter of the General Laws to allow licensed pharmacists to prescribe and dispense FDA-approved tobacco cessation drug therapies to eligible patients. To qualify, patients must be at least eighteen years old or meet the minimum age according to FDA guidance, be willing to participate in a structured tobacco cessation program, and be educated on nicotine toxicity and the effects of medications. Pharmacists are required to complete approved tobacco cessation education, adhere to updated care standards, refer high-risk patients to other healthcare providers, and notify the patient's primary care provider of the screening and follow-up care within five business days. The bill also mandates that health insurance companies and Medicaid in Rhode Island cover these tobacco cessation drug therapies and pharmacist services within their scope of practice, similar to coverage for services performed by physicians or other healthcare providers. Coverage must be provided even outside the insurer's network if the required services are not available within it, starting January 1, 2025.

Furthermore, the bill requires that all health insurance contracts, policies, or plans issued or renewed in Rhode Island after January 1, 2025, include coverage for tobacco cessation drug therapy and pharmacist services. Health plans are obligated to have an adequate number of pharmacists in their networks, and pharmacy participation in the plan's drug benefit does not satisfy this requirement. The bill also includes a resolution for the Rhode Island Medicaid Reform Act of 2008, empowering the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to make necessary changes to allow pharmacists to prescribe tobacco cessation therapies, effective July 1, 2024. The act's Section 1 will take effect on January 1, 2025, while sections 2 through 6 will take effect upon passage. There are no deletions from current law indicated in the provided text.