Delaware Specialty Tier Bill
On July 23rd Governor Jack Markell signed a bill that limits out-of-pocket (OOP) costs for specialty drugs into law. Starting January 1, 2014, the amount paid through co-insurance or co-payment will be limited to $150 per month for a 30-day supply of any specialty drug, including bleeding disorders therapies.
Capping the OOP costs will have an enormous impact on individuals with hemophilia and other high-cost, chronic conditions and help ensure access to affordable healthcare. This effort was the result of building a coalition comprised of insurers, industry and several disease groups including the Delaware Valley Chapter of NHF, Arthritis Foundation Mid-Atlantic Region and the National MS Society-Delaware Chapter.
NHF Advocacy Update
On the federal level, NHF is continuing to advocate for H.R. 460, the Patients’ Access to Treatments Act of 2013. This bill was one of the issues that the community pushed for during Washington Days. After advocacy by many members of the Coalition for Accessible Treatments that is supporting the bill, there are now 70 bi-partisan co-sponsors of the bill in the House. We anticipate a hearing scheduled on the bill this fall in the House. In the Senate, we continue to seek champions to introduce companion legislation. NHF will update the community when Congressional activity resumes this fall.
