Senate Approves Roberts’ Bill to Save Coloradans Money on Health Care, Lower Cost of EpiPens

Roberts: “This bill will limit out-of-pocket costs and make life-saving EpiPens much more affordable for working folks”

DENVER, CO – The Senate today passed legislation sponsored by Senator Dylan Roberts’, D-Avon, that would cap the cost of life-saving epinephrine auto-injector devices, more commonly known as EpiPens.

HB23-1002 would require insurance carriers that provide coverage for EpiPens to cap the out-of-pocket cost to $60 for a 2-pack. It also creates the Epinephrine Auto-Injector Affordability Program, where uninsured Coloradans with a prescription can apply to obtain low-cost epinephrine through the Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI). Manufacturers would be required to post access to the program on their websites. 

“Colorado families like the ones I represent on the Western Slope are getting charged an arm and a leg for the EpiPens they rely on to save their lives in emergency situations, and it’s unacceptable,” Roberts said. “Nobody should have to choose between paying the bills and affording their prescription drugs. This bill will lower costs and make life-saving EpiPens much more affordable for working folks.”

Since 2007, epinephrine auto-injector prices have increased over 660 percent to $690 for a 2-pack. Because epinephrine auto-injectors expire a year after purchase, Colorado families have been forced to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars annually for critical, life-saving medication.

This legislation builds off of successful policy championed by Roberts in 2021, HB21-1307, creating the Colorado Insulin Affordability Program to reduce insulin prescription costs and cap monthly insulin costs at $100. Insulin and epinephrine auto-injectors are both life-saving medications that regulate potentially fatal bodily reactions.

HB23-1002 now moves back to the House for concurrence on amendments. Track the bill’s progress HERE.