Letters and Statements

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

Letter excerpt:

Dear Chairman Buxton,

On behalf of the nearly 500 people with cystic fibrosis (CF) in Utah, we write to express our support for SB 139, which would require insurers to apply third-party assistance for drugs without generic alternatives to out-of-pocket maximums and other patient cost-sharing requirements. While copay assistance is a short-sighted fix for systemic issues that face our health care system, solutions to address affordability and sustainability cannot come at the expense of patients’ health and financial wellbeing.

Read the full letter below.

CFF-Support-Letter-for-UT-SB139-1-31-22

Letter excerpt:

As a member of the Utah All Copays Count Coalition (UACCC), a group of patient-focused organizations and individuals working together to ensure Utahn’s can afford life-saving medications, we ask for your support of SB 139 and encourage passage this legislative session as is. SB 139 ensures patients will continue to have access to their needed medications and stay on their treatment regime prescribed by their doctor by ending the practice of Copay Accumulator Adjustment Programs (AAPs) utilized by some insurers in the private market.

Full letter below.

UACCC-Support-Letter-for-SB-139-Prescription-Cost-Amendments-1.27.22

Letter excerpt:

Dear Members of the Utah Congressional Delegation,

On behalf of the undersigned organizations and the many constituents we represent, please urge the Biden Administration to withdraw the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation’s (CMMI) recent changes to the Medicare Part D Payment Modernization Model, changes that could drastically reduce access to medications for seniors and Americans with disabilities.

Full letter below:

UT-Ltr_6PC_RebateRule