tobacco tax allocation;
organ transplants
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Committee on Health |
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Committee on Appropriations |
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Caucus and COW |
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Third Read |
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As Passed the House |
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HB 2544 appropriates an additional $130,000 from the Tobacco Tax Medically Needy Account to restore the $200,000 funds transfer to the Non-Renal Transplant Medications Program (NRTMP).
House Bill 2544 passed the Health Committee unamended.
The purpose of the NRTMP is to make post-surgical, transplanted-related medication available to eligible patients assisting the long-term survival of non-renal transplant recipients. Laws 1998, Chapter 256 allocated $200,000 annually, for contracts with hospitals licensed by the DHS that perform non-renal organ transplant operations. In January 1999, the University Medical Center (UMC) in Tucson was awarded a contract through NRTMP. Currently, the UMC is the only hospital awarded such contract.
Due to initial low levels of utilization the program under spent its budget and consequently received less funds. Laws 2001, Chapter 374 allocated funds for NRTMP were reduced from $200,000 to $70,000. As the program became more established the frequency of utilization increased. HB 2544 allocates the funds necessary to sufficiently cover current levels of utilization.