Senate Committee Advances Pair of Roberts’ Bills to Save Coloradans Money on Health Care, Lower Cost of EpiPens
HB23-1002 and HB23-1224 signal Colorado Democrats ongoing efforts to improve health care and prescription drug affordability
DENVER, CO – Today, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed Senator Dylan Roberts’, D-Avon, bills to cap the cost of life-saving epinephrine auto-injector devices and lower insurance premiums.
The first bill, 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.
“Every Coloradan, no matter where they live, deserves to have access to the life-saving health care they need,” said Roberts. “Colorado has led the way in lowering costs of health care, and now we’re taking the next steps by making premiums and emergency medication more affordable across the state. Rural communities, like those I represent, are more likely to need more affordable emergency medication like EpiPens and less likely to have health insurance coverage. These bills will help families find health insurance plans that work for them, save money, and save lives.”
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, 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.
The second bill, HB23-1224, would lower insurance premiums and make it easier for consumers to shop for high value standardized health plans that work for them and their families. The bill strengthens the DOI’s ability to hold carriers accountable for the premium rate reduction requirements on Colorado Option Standardized Plans by granting the DOI the authority to:
Limit factors such as as excessive profit and administrative expenses;
Structure the public hearings process efficiently while ensuring all parties have the opportunity to participate;
Help consumers easily find and compare plans that could lower their out-of-pocket costs.
HB23-1002 will go to the Senate Appropriations Committee and HB23-1224 now heads to the Senate floor. You can follow the bills’ progress HERE and HERE, respectively.