Purchasing and distributing vaccines, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under this bill, the Department of Health Services must establish a program that provides vaccines to individuals who are not eligible to receive a vaccine at no cost from a federal program. Vaccines to which the bill applies are those recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and included in the program by the secretary of health services. The bill requires DHS to estimate the costs associated with providing vaccines and, in consultation with the commissioner of insurance, assess each payer that covers vaccines an amount to pay for this program in accordance with the estimate plus any reserves that DHS determines are prudent.

Administrators, insurers, certain health coverage plans, and self-insured governmental health plans are considered payers in the bill. The amount the payer is assessed must be proportional to the number of individuals whose health benefits are administered by or on behalf of that payer in the state. The bill allows DHS to impose an additional assessment if a new vaccine is developed. DHS must then purchase vaccines and distribute them to health care providers to administer vaccines to individuals who are not eligible to receive a vaccine at no cost from a federal program.

Who's behind it

17 lawmakers are its authors⁠. All 17 are Democrats.

7 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.