LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan House of Representatives on Thursday approved a pair of bills sponsored by Sen. Kevin Daley that would allow pharmacists to dispense insulin under certain emergency circumstances.
“This is great news. I am happy to see such broad support for this legislation,” said Daley, R-Lum. “This is good public policy that has garnered bipartisan support in both chambers of the Legislature and I hope we can get this bill quickly signed into law.”
Senate Bill 155 would allow pharmacists to dispense up to a 30-day supply of insulin to an individual if the individual has no current refills on file, but they have a preexisting relationship with that pharmacy, and the pharmacist cannot get ahold of the original prescriber.
SB 156 would amend the Insurance Code so an emergency refill dispensed in this situation would be covered by an individual’s health insurance.
“Countless people rely on insulin to survive,” Daley said. “There needs to be a safety net in place that helps patients instead of government barriers that deny them their life-saving medication. This bill would do just that and provide a peace of mind for patients across the state.”
SB 155 was approved by the House in a 109-0 vote, while SB 156 was approved with a 108-1 vote. Both bills will now go to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for final consideration.
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