Kaine Withdraws Generic Drugs Amendment

Associated Press
Published: April 23, 2008

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Governor Tim Kaine has withdrawn an amendment to the state budget that would have cut Medicaid costs by substituting generic behavioral medicines for brand-name drugs.
Kaine decided late Tuesday night to strike the amendment. It was among 41 amendments to the new, two-year state budget he submitted for legislative review Wednesday during the General Assembly’s one-day reconvened session.
The governor had said that allowing generics to be prescribed for the indigent, elderly and disabled could save the state $1.5 million.
Mental health advocates, however, denounced the amendment. They said people with severe mental or psychological conditions could be denied specific and proven drugs at critical moments. Critics said behavioral medicines are not easily substituted and can have devastating results.