HELP Copays Act Reintroduced
by Johanna Gray, Advocacy Consultant

I’m so pleased to share that the Help Ensure Lower Patient Copays Act (HELP Copays Act) has been reintroduced in the House! You may recall that this bill was first introduced in the last Congress to prohibit copay accumulator adjustor programs and close a loophole that some plans are using to say that covered drugs don’t count as essential health benefits (EHBs). In the 118th Congress, the bill number is HR 830 and it was introduced by Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA), Nannette Barragan (D-CA), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Yvette Clarke (D-NY). The Alliance joined in a statement with the All Copays Count Coalition thanking the sponsors for their leadership in introducing the bill and will be lobbying for its passage.

Given the interest in PBM reform this year, we are hopeful that the bill will have more traction and pass this year! But we need your help! Unfortunately, I know that many Alliance members have had patients run into awful situations with copay accumulator adjustor programs and we should use those experiences to make the case for why Congress should act. If you would like to contact your Member of Congress to ask them to co-sponsor the bill, please let me know. I’d be happy to provide you with the right contact info and talking points to send the email.