Nevada bill aims to protect the chronically ill from this insurer practice

CARSON CITY — For many people suffering from chronic illnesses, the out-of-pocket costs for medication can be exorbitant. In a bid for relief, drug manufacturers sometimes supply coupons to cover costs until the patient’s insurance kicks in.

But those coupons don’t help like they used to.

Some insurance companies use a copay accumulator program, which denies the use of coupons toward a patient’s deductible and annual maximum out-of-pocket costs. That means it takes longer for patients to reach their deductible.

Nevada lawmakers have brought forward a bill that would require insurance companies to apply coupons toward the patient’s deductible, but only in cases of drugs without a generic alternative. Las Vegas resident Kelly Gonzalez uses coupons for medicine to treat bleeding disorders, but those coupons aren’t counted toward meeting her insurance deductible of $6,700 and maximum out of pocket of $13,000 for all coverage. And when considering her monthly premiums are $2,700 for the health plan, the proposal — Senate Bill 171 — would be a lifeline.

“It happens with hospitals, it happens with drugs … and that’s why I’m seeing all of these interested people out of the clear blue sky saying, ‘Oh that happened to me too or it’s happening to me too,” said Sen. Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City, who sponsored the bill along with Assemblywoman Melissa Hardy, R-Henderson.

Read more: https://lasvegassun.com/news/2021/may/12/nevada-bill-protect-chronic-ill-insurer-copay/