Assembly Bill A6298

2009-2010 Legislative Session

Instructs the superintendent of insurance to deny policies imposing drug tiers and cost-sharing for prescription medication

download bill text pdf

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Assembly Committee


  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2009-A6298 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Senate Version of this Bill:
S191
Current Committee:
Assembly Insurance
Law Section:
Insurance Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§3221, 3216 & 4303, Ins L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2011-2012: A5051
2013-2014: A2655
2015-2016: A3273
2017-2018: A6022
2019-2020: A5724

2009-A6298 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Instructs the superintendent of insurance to deny policies imposing drug tiers based on expense or disease category and charging cost-sharing percentage for prescription medication.

2009-A6298 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  6298

                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                            February 27, 2009
                               ___________

Introduced  by M. of A. TITUS -- read once and referred to the Committee
  on Insurance

AN ACT to amend the insurance  law,  in  relation  to  denying  policies
  imposing drug tiers and cost-sharing for prescription medication

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature finds that:
  (a) The cost of specialty drugs is a great concern. According  to  IMS
Health,  about $37.7 billion was spent on specialty drugs in 2003, grow-
ing by as much as 26.6  percent  since  2002,  nearly  double  the  13.4
percent growth rate in total drug spending. The growth rate for special-
ty  pharmacy drugs is expected to be 20 percent a year for the foreseea-
ble future. Studies and efforts to cope with rising cost drugs,  includ-
ing  specialty  drugs, should strongly consider affordability issues and
minimizing the impact on patients' health.
  (b) The current health insurance system is increasingly  unaffordable,
regularly adding new barriers to access. According to the Kaiser Founda-
tion,  health  insurance  premiums rose 6.1 percent in 2007, faster than
wages rising at 3.7 percent and inflation rising at 2.6 percent.  Annual
premiums for family  coverage  averages  $12,106,  with  workers  paying
$3,281.  Since  2001,  premiums  for  family  coverage have increased 78
percent, while wages have gone up 19 percent and inflation has  gone  up
17  percent.  Furthermore,  between  2000 and 2003, annual out-of-pocket
spending rose $900 or 30 percent  for  employees  with  family  coverage
including insurance premiums, deductibles and drug co-payments, increas-
ing from $1,890 to $2,790.
  (c) Multi-tiered formularies have undoubtedly transformed the pharmacy
benefit landscape.  By 2005, most workers with employer-sponsored cover-
age  (74  percent) were enrolled in plans with 3 or more tiers, nearly 3
times the rate in 2000 (27 percent). While cost containment measures are
necessary, certain cost-sharing policies, such as  tier  four  measures,

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD02054-01-9
              

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