129th MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 1661		LR 2470(01)
	An Act To Create the Drug Donation and Redispensing Program
	Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement for Original Bill
	Sponsor: Sen. Claxton of Androscoggin
	Committee: Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement
Current biennium cost increase - General Fund
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	This bill establishes the drug donation and redispensing program under the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The program collects donations of unused prescription and legend drugs from health care providers, health care facilities and other sources, including at drop-off locations throughout the State, and redispenses the drugs through participating pharmacies to qualified low-income persons. The DHHS would need to create a number of new positions to run the program, identify spaces for designated donation sites, obtain a warehouse to store drugs or contract with a third-party wholesaler, create a system to transport the drugs from donation sites to a central warehouse and to pharmacies or secure disposal sites, create an outreach program to acquire participating pharmacies and to acquire or increase liability insurance to mitigate the risks associated with the potential adverse affects of a recipient acquiring and ingesting drugs not intended for his/her treatment. Additionally, the DHHS is concerned that pharmacies will be unable to determine if a person's family income is equal to or less than 350% of the federal poverty level for most residents. As there are no programs currently handled by the DHHS similar to this program, many of these costs are unknown. No estimate of the costs of the program can be determined at this time.