Sen. Schaefer Legislative Column

State Sen. Kurt U. Schaefer – District 19

Session continues to move forward, with many committee hearings and debate on legislation. Even amid all of the hustle and bustle, I was able to visit with a number of constituents this week.

On Monday (2-08), I had the pleasure of introducing one of the Senate’s pages of the day, Catherine Kadlec. Catherine is a fifth-grader at Good Shepherd Lutheran School in Columbia.

On Wednesday (2-10), I presented Marie Hunter with a resolution commending her recent 2010 Missouri Arts Award for Leadership and Arts. Marie is a resident of Columbia.

In other news, I filed two important bills this week regarding health care. Senate Bill 918 would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from automatically enrolling a pharmacy in a contract or modifying an existing contract without permission from the pharmacy.

This bill would ensure that doctors and patients have more control over the decision regarding which medications are prescribed and ensures the patient’s prescriptions are not changed by anyone but their physician. The bill would also help to ensure patients have the ability to use the pharmacy of their choice.

I also filed Senate Bill 917, which would establish criteria for insurers to use in programs that publicly assess and compare the quality and cost efficiency of health care providers. Under this act, insurers would retain the services of a nationally recognized independent health care quality standard-setting organization to review the plan’s programs for consumers that measure and report on providers based on their performance. This legislation would ensure that consumers get the highest quality health care for their insurance dollar.

Thank you for your continued interest in the issues that affect the citizens of Boone and Randolph counties. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact my office.