The bill aims to reduce prescription drug costs by enhancing access to biosimilar medicines, which are approved under the same FDA standards as their reference drugs. It introduces a new section that emphasizes the importance of eliminating barriers to accessing these cost-effective alternatives. The bill amends several existing laws, including RCW 48.43.420, to ensure that health plans provide a clear and accessible process for patients and healthcare providers to request exceptions to prescription drug utilization management. It mandates that health carriers disclose all relevant rules and criteria for these processes and outlines specific conditions under which exception requests must be granted.

Additionally, the bill modifies RCW 69.41.120 and RCW 69.41.125 to allow pharmacists to select biosimilars or interchangeable biological products when filling prescriptions, provided that the substitution does not conflict with the prescriber's instructions. It also stipulates that substitutions should aim to lower out-of-pocket costs for patients and requires pharmacists to communicate the dispensed product's name on the prescription label. Overall, the legislation seeks to promote the use of biosimilars, thereby potentially lowering prescription drug costs for patients in Washington.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 48.43.420, 41.05.410, 69.41.120, 18.64.245