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H4944 • 2025

An Act relative to emergency insulin access

An Act relative to emergency insulin access

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The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Financial Services (J)
Last action
2026-01-23
Official status
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act relative to emergency insulin access

An Act relative to emergency insulin access Status: Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

What This Bill Does

  • An Act relative to emergency insulin access Status: Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-23 House

    Reported from the committee on Financial Services

  2. 2026-01-23 House

    New draft of H1212

  3. 2026-01-23 House

    Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means

Official Summary Text

An Act relative to emergency insulin access
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
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Bill H.4944

SECTION 1. Section 17G of chapter 32A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word "items", in line 6, the first time it appears, the following words:- or if dispensed by a pharmacist in an emergency situation pursuant to section 12D½ of chapter 112.

SECTION 2. Chapter 112 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 12D the following section:-

Section 12D ½ (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

"Emergency situation", an event in which authorization for the dispensing of insulin may not be readily obtained from the practitioner.

“Pharmacist’s professional judgment”, the judgment of a pharmacist as to whether the substance to be dispensed is essential to sustain the life of the patient or continue therapy for a chronic condition of the patient, and whether failure to dispense or sell the drug to the patient could result in harm to the health of the patient.

(b) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, in an emergency situation, a pharmacist may dispense a supply of insulin.

The supply dispensed may not exceed a 30-day supply as provided in the prescription or, if the standard unit of dispensing for the drug exceeds a 30-day supply, the amount of the drug dispensed or sold does not exceed the standard unit of dispensing.

The pharmacist shall exercise professional judgment in determining the amount of the drug to be dispensed or sold.

(c)

A pharmacist shall not dispense or sell a particular drug to the same patient in an amount described in subsection (b) more than once in any 6-month period.

(d) The commissioner of public health shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this section.

SECTION 3. Section 10C of chapter 118E of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word "items", in line 4, the following words:- or if dispensed by a pharmacist in an emergency situation pursuant to section 12D½ of chapter 112.

SECTION 4. Section 47N of chapter 175 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word "items", in line 14, the first time it appears, the following words:- or if dispensed by a pharmacist in an emergency situation pursuant to section 12D½ of chapter 112.

SECTION 5. Section 8P of chapter 176A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word "items", in line 13, the first time it appears, the following words:- or if dispensed by a pharmacist in an emergency situation pursuant to section 12D½ of chapter 112.

SECTION 6. Section 4S of chapter 176B of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word "items", in line 13, the first time it appears, the following words:- or if dispensed by a pharmacist in an emergency situation pursuant to section 12D½ of chapter 112.

SECTION 7. Section 4H of chapter 176G of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word "items", in line 9, the following words:- or if dispensed by a pharmacist in an emergency situation pursuant to section 12D½ of chapter 112.

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