
For the second time this year, California officials have delayed a much-ballyhooed effort to start a program in which the state would negotiate prescription drug prices and create a its own purchasing system for certain medicines. But this time, it is unclear when the initiative will get off the ground.
A notice on the California Department of Health Care Services website says the new Medi-Cal Rx program was scheduled to start on April 1, but has been delayed. No start date was given and a department spokesperson wrote us that an update will be provided next month. The website indicates a meeting is scheduled for May 19.
May one observe that “draft version of long list” is a bit of … understatement? The target pdf is over 200 pages. Dream Big … or “California Dreaming” as they say?