House Approves Measure Giving Assisted Living Residents More Choice

State Rep. Josh Cockroft today praised the passage of a measure in the House of Representatives that would allow assisted living center residents to continue doing business with local pharmacies without fear of penalty.

House Bill 2566, by state Rep. Harold Wright, would prohibit assisted living centers from penalizing residents financially for using their choice of providers for medical services and supplies.

“This is good legislation that gives residents the freedom to choose who their provider of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals will be without being charged a fee by the facility,” said Cockroft, R-Tecumseh “Citizens are in the best position to decide who should provide their services, whether it is healthcare or cable, and any measure that increases freedom for consumers will have my support.”

The measure allows assisted living centers to continue having a preferred pharmacy for residents to purchase supplies and drugs from as long as no fee is applied to residents who choose a different provider.

The measure passed out of the House by a vote of 77-1 and now heads to the governor to be signed into law.