Maryland – State Senate Passes Bill to Cap Out of Pocket Costs
March 20, 2014; Posted by: WeBleed staff
The Maryland Senate votes unanimously to cap out-of-pocket rates for specialty tier drugs.
Those with chronic conditions living in Maryland with the continuous worry of how they will be paying a high percentage of their medical drug costs may not have to worry as much anymore. A recent article states that new legislation developed to cap out-of-pocket insurance rates is in the works. The reason why this has come to pass is due to the percentages of coinsurance rates that patients have had to pay as opposed to a basic copay each time they need medication. These costs can be upwards of thousands of dollars per month.
“Some patients with various chronic illnesses take many specialty drugs, so you can see the compounding impact that this would have,” Tracy Orwig of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society told WYPR News. “It’s really going to be a life-saver for patients and families with chronic illnesses such as cancer, HIV, lupus, multiple sclerosis, hemophilia, and many others.”
Many bleeding and clotting disorders count towards high costs for individuals which are life-long due to no cure currently for most of these disorders.
As soon as the Senate and House in Maryland combine their versions of the bill, it will be sent to the governor’s desk for approval. Maryland’s legislative efforts look to be good news for state residents.
