AUGUSTA - The Legislature's Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee unanimously agreed Thursday to a measure from Rep. Denise Tepler, D-Topsham, to ensure emergency access to insulin. The bill, LD 60, would require that emergency insulin refills be dispensed in at least a 30-day supply.
"Insulin is a life-saving drug that should be easily accessible to those who need it," said Tepler. I am excited that this legislation to make the dispensing of emergency insulin easier for pharmacists and patients is moving forward with agreement from all parties.
LD 60 would address a section of law termed Kevins Law, named after a young man with Type 1 Diabetes who died when his prescription for insulin expired. In Maine, Kevins Law requires an emergency insulin refill to be dispensed in a quantity that is the lesser of a 30-day supply and in the smallest available package. The bill would clarify this language to specify at least a 30-day supply and would permit a patient to request a smaller supply in an emergency if desired.
This legislation is the result of the father of Kevin of Kevins Law coming to Rep. Tepler and requesting the clarifying language.
The bill now faces a vote in the full Legislature.
Tepler is serving her fourth term in the Maine House of Representatives and she represents House District 54, all of the town of Topsham, and serves as House chair of the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee.
Contact:br />
Katie Walsh [Tepler], 776-2122