In Review: The Health Coverage, Insurance, and Financial Services Committee (HCIFS) held a work session on a prior authorization bill. The bill would require carriers to report on prior authorization metrics and allow providers to provide nonemergency services before a prior authorization is approved. PCMA was concerned that this could lead to a loophole around white bagging, but the bill sponsor was unwilling to compromise with our language proposals. PCMA was able to get gold carding language struck from the bill. HCIFS also held a work session on requiring coverage of the lowest wholesale acquisition cost of insulin and providing it at a zero-dollar cost share to the patient. Ultimately, that language was struck, and the bill now requires manufacturers to report their wholesale acquisition cost to the Bureau of Insurance yearly.

Up Next: HCIFS will hold a work session on Wednesday, February 6, to discuss the required coverage of generics and biosimilars bill and the nonopioid, nonnarcotic bill.

If you have any questions, please contact Sam Hallemeier at shallemeier@pcmanet.org.