State Senate approves gift ban

June 13, 2008

Resisting pressure from biopharmaceutical firms, the state Senate voted to ban gifts from the industry to doctors and other health care workers, with a $5,000 civil fine for a violation.

Critics said the measure, deemed the harshest in the nation, sends a mixed message to the pharmaceutical industry at a time when the state is trying to entice investment here.

Senate President Therese Murray’s bill also requires physicians to adopt an electronic medical records system by 2015, authorizes the Attorney General to enact antitrust immunity rules so that insurers and providers can collaborate, and requires public explanations of hefty year-to-year insurance premium increases.