(1) The general assembly finds that:
Uninsured, underinsured, and older Coloradans pay a disproportionately greater shareof their income for prescription drugs. In many cases, current drug prices have the effect of denying residents access to necessary medical care, thereby threatening their health and safety.
Prescription drugs play an increasingly important role in improving or stabilizing aperson's health and in reducing overall health care costs;
Additionally, the new medicare prescription drug benefit restricts persons from purchasing insurance in order to fully cover their prescription drug needs. This restriction on a person's ability to purchase adequate coverage may threaten the person's health and safety.
Currently, there is no limit on the amount that a pharmacy may charge for a genericor nonpatented drug, and, although some retail pharmacies are offering some generic and nonpatented drugs at discounted prices, there are no guarantees that the pharmacies will continue to do so.
(2) The general assembly, therefore, declares that it is important to make information available to the public concerning ways to purchase lower-cost generic and nonpatented prescription drugs through the "Colorado Cares Rx Act" in order to protect the health of uninsured, underinsured, and older Coloradans. The general assembly further declares that the state should continue to actively research cost-effective mechanisms or programs that may provide additional options to address this need in Colorado.
Source: L. 2007: Entire article added, p. 1, § 1, effective February 5. L. 2009: Entire section amended, (SB 09-132), ch. 224, p. 1011, § 1, effective May 4.