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Amend the bill in section 1 in §2687 by striking out all of subsection 1 (page 1, lines 6 to 15 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
 
‘1.  Comment period.    The Department of Health and Human Services, office of MaineCare services shall establish a 17-day written comment period on any proposed change to the state maximum allowable cost list if the change results in a reduction in payment to pharmacies. The written comment period must be held in compliance with the Maine Administrative Procedure Act. A change in the maximum allowable cost list that will result in a reduction in payment to pharmacies may not take effect for at least 30 days and not until 30 days after the office of MaineCare services has completed its response to any written comments. For the purposes of this section, "maximum allowable cost list" means a list of prescription drugs that bases reimbursement on the cost of the generic product.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment shortens the written comment period on proposed changes to the state maximum allowable cost list that will result in reductions in payments to pharmacies from 60 days, as in the bill, to 17 days. It changes the provision of the bill that prohibits such a change from taking effect until 90 days after the Department of Health and Human Services has completed its response to written comments to provide that such a change may not take effect for at least 30 days and not until 30 days after the department has completed its response.