Letter excerpt:
Dear Chair Bramble and Members of the Senate Business and Labor Committee,
The Society of Utah Medical Oncologists (SUMO) and the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) are pleased to support Senate Bill 139: Prescription Cost Amendments, which would prohibit health carriers in the state from utilizing co-pay accumulator programs within their plans. … SUMO and ASCO are committed to supporting policies that reduce cost while preserving quality of cancer care; however, it is critical that such policies be developed and implemented in a way that does not undermine patient access. Copay accumulator programs target specialty drugs for which manufacturers often provide copay assistance. With a co-pay accumulator program in place, a manufacturer’s assistance no longer applies toward a patient’s co-pay or out-of-pocket maximum. This policy means patients will experience increased out of pocket costs and take longer to reach required deductibles. By prohibiting these funds from counting toward patient premiums and deductibles, co-pay accumulators negate the intended benefit of patient assistance programs and remove a safety net for patients who need expensive specialty medications but cannot afford them.
Read the full letter below.
SUMO_ASCO_SB-139_Support-2-1-22