ST. PAUL, Minn.— Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) and Representative Robert Bierman (DFL-Apple Valley) are renewing efforts to reform prescription drug coverage on the individual and small-group markets following a key report released by the Minnesota Department of Commerce. The report has found that pending legislation to reform prescription drug coverage on the individual and small-group markets would improve public health and reduce consumer financial barriers to health care, with most insurers noting no significant impact on premiums.
“I look forward to bringing flat, predictable co-pays to Minnesotans. Life-saving drugs can cost thousands, and making patients cover the cost up-front is a burden they need not bear. I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to pass this bipartisan effort,” said Sen. Carla Nelson, R–Rochester, Senate Tax Committee Chair and author of SF 365.
“Minnesotans deserve access to the affordable care and prescription drugs they need to thrive,” said Rep. Robert Bierman, DFL–Apple Valley, Vice-Chair of the Preventive Health Policy Division and author of HF 633. “This legislation is one important strategy we can utilize to help Minnesotans manage their monthly drug costs, and the report from the MN Department of Commerce validates our claims.”
Senate File 365/House File 633, one of seven bills recently evaluated, would require Minnesota private insurers to offer pre-deductible, copay-only coverage options for prescription drugs on 25 percent of individual and small-group market plans. Copays are fixed, predictable amounts paid for medical services, and offer a more stable coverage option than percentage-based coinsurance for people with expensive-to-treat conditions.
For people with chronic health conditions, the legislation could not come at a better time. Last year, research from Harvard University and the University of California Berkeley found that just a $10 price increase for medications led not only to a decrease in patients filling their prescriptions, but also a 33% higher mortality rate.
Patient advocates urge lawmakers to act swiftly on the legislation. “Cancer patients and other people facing serious illness shouldn’t be forced to choose between their medications and other basic needs,” said Dana Bacon, Government Affairs Director for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and organizer of a coalition of 22 patient, provider and public health associations that support the legislation. “This legislation is an important step towards solving a problem facing thousands of Minnesotans.”
“Three in 10 Americans don’t take prescriptions as described due to cost, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll. This legislation will give patients real options on the open market,” said Emily Myatt, Minnesota Government Relations Director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
The Minnesota legislature reconvenes today. HF 633, which was included in the House Health and Human Services Omnibus bill in 2021, will be reconsidered in the House Health Finance and Policy committee while SF 365 awaits consideration from the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Finance and Policy committee.
###