April 20, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STATEMENT FROM NCODA LEGISLATIVE & POLICY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Contact: Kevin Scorsone | NCODA Legislative & Policy Liaison
Phone: (919) 903-2057
Email: kevin.scorsone@ncoda.org
www.ncoda.org
WASHINGTON STATE ENDS LEGISLATIVE SESSION WITH WIN FOR PATIENTS
The state of Washington wrapped up their legislative session with a huge victory for patients. Senate Bill 5610 (SB 5610) was designed and passed to make healthcare more affordable for Washingtonians, including people battling cancer. This bill will require insurance companies to count prescription coupons used by a patient as part of the patient’s cost-sharing requirement. This will ultimately result in patients receiving their prescriptions faster and easier, with less financial toxicity.
SB 5610 was put forth in the Senate and passed with an overwhelming margin in the House (96-0). It has now been given the Governor’s signature, making it law. This law goes into effect on January 1, 2023, and will virtually eliminate copay accumulators in the state of Washington. NCODA has been at the forefront of copay accumulator reform. NCODA was the first organization to create a patient-facing resource to help patients and caregivers better understand the implications of copay accumulator programs.
NCODA applauds the momentum that has been ramping up surrounding copay accumulator reform, and we hope that all states will follow the lead of Washington. NCODA is at the forefront of educating oncology healthcare professionals about the importance of state legislative matters, and how it impacts cancer patients and practices. Legislation like SB 5610 in Washington sets an example for a potential federal mandate that would reform these hurdles for patients. Until then, state victories bring us encouragement and an enthusiastic view for the future in a continued quest to ensure that all patients receive quality, equitable and affordable care.
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Important updates such as this can be found in the newly released NCODA Oncology State Legislation Tracker. This state of the art and first of its kind tracker is updated weekly and features all oncology related bills from each and every state. The tracker includes the full bill to read but also includes a “Summary and “Why It Matters” section to educate our membership in a thorough and timely manner.
To access the tracker you can click on the link here. If you have any further questions regarding any and all legislative news and initiatives can email Kevin Scorsone, NCODA’s Legislative & Policy Liaison, at kevin.scorsone@ncoda.org.
