We are concerned that without further Division of Insurance action, PrEP users in Massachusetts will continue to be charged cost-sharing in violation of the ACA mandate, and that those who cannot afford these copays will be in danger of PrEP discontinuation and seroconversion. We believe that the cases we have described are but the tip of the iceberg: only people with time, information, resources, and persistence come forward to pursue lengthy complaint processes with insurance regulators. We should also note that insurance regulators have occasionally wrongly denied complaints, as in one of the cases highlighted by the Boston Globe.
Letter to Mayor Bowser in support of DC’s Copay Accumulator Amendment Act of 2023
HIV+Hep strongly supports the “Copay Accumulator Amendment Act of 2021” (Bill 25-0141). It simply requires that the copay assistance beneficiaries receive counts towards their out-of-pocket obligation. By signing this law, DC will join 17 other states (Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Oklahoma, New Mexico, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia, and Virginia) and Puerto Rico in protecting consumers by assuring their copay assistance will count towards cost-sharing obligations.
Letter in support of Rhode Island Senate bill on copay assistance
We voice our strong support for Senate Bill 0799 (“Relating to Insurance–Prescription Drug Benefits”) which would require health insurers to accept and count payments made on behalf of patients towards deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. We thank you for holding a hearing on this important issue and ask that you pass the bill as soon as possible.
Letter in support of ensuring copay assistance counts & reining in unscrupulous prescription drug practices
We strongly support your bipartisan leadership in taking action to address some of the abusive practices Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) engage in that hinder patient access and the affordability of prescription drugs. While most people think insurers make the majority of decisions regarding health coverage and affordability, when it comes to prescription drugs, it is PBMs that drive many of the decisions as to what medications a beneficiary can access and how much they pay for them.
50 patient groups comment in response to the request for information on essential health benefits [CMS-9898-NC]
We believe that the EHB regulations governing prescription drugs have generally been working well for patients; however, we propose some areas for improvement and are very concerned that there has been a lack of enforcement of the EHB regulations, an erosion of essential health benefits over the years, and some insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are devising ways to skirt the intent of the EHB law and regulations.