A day after it voted down the bill, the Arkansas House passed legislation to increase the products available to those trying to stop smoking.
Rep. Andrew Collins, D-Little Rock, said Monday after his House Bill 1555 fell three votes shy of passage that he was unsure whether he'd ask for another vote. The measure would make all seven tobacco-cessation products approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration available to Arkansans on Medicaid without prior authorization.
However, the measure returned to the House floor for consideration Tuesday after Rep. Sarah Capp, R-Ozark, made a motion for reconsideration, signaling that she wanted to change her "no" vote to a "yes" vote.
Capp wasn't the only member who had a change of heart, as the bill passed 63-16 after failing in a 48-24 vote on Monday.
The proposal fell short Monday after members raised questions about the cost of three additional products the bill would make readily available to Medicaid recipients. Four of the federally approved products are offered without needing special approval from the Medicaid program.
[RELATED: Complete Democrat-Gazette coverage of the Arkansas Legislature]
"Yesterday, this was a very close vote, and I know many of us didn't have an opportunity to review the fiscal impact," Capp said from the House floor. "It specifically states that Arkansas already covers four of the seven medications provided in [the bill]. It is possible the remaining three could be added at no additional cost. ... For every dollar spent on tobacco-cessation medications, the state receives a 3-to-1 savings in tobacco-related illness. For that reason, I ask that we reconsider this."
HB1555 would allow physicians to prescribe nicotine-replacement therapy lozenges, nasal spray and inhalers to Medicaid recipients without prior authorization from state Medicaid administrators. Collins said Monday that lozenges cost $259 a month; the nasal spray is $317 a month; and the inhalers are $1,200 a month.
Requiring prior authorization can be used by states to steer patients to cheaper treatment options and cause delays that discourage treatment altogether, according to the American Lung Association.
A Section on 03/20/2019