Final answer:
A prescriber must provide a valid justification on the prescription to designate the selection of a brand product over a generic when billing to Medicaid. The intent behind this and other similar measures is to control drug costs within state Medicaid programs.
Step-by-step explanation:
For prescriptions billed to state Medicaid, a prescriber must provide a valid justification for the selection of brand product if they wish to designate such over a generic equivalent. This typically involves writing "brand necessary" or "brand medically necessary" on the prescription. The importance of this action comes from the attempts to control costs within the Medicaid program, where generics are preferred due to their lower cost.
The Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003 was designed to help address the high costs of prescriptions for the elderly and disabled by introducing programs to aid in reducing these costs. Despite its good intentions, the act has faced criticism regarding ongoing high costs, significant overhead, and the potential for inflating prescription drug prices.