To help patients access costly prescriptions, pharmaceutical manufacturers offer copayment assistance, like coupons, to greatly reduce patients’ out of pocket costs for their company’s medication. These copay assistance programs are being targeted by health plan programs through copay accumulator programs which use this financial assistance to collect more proceeds from patients.  

Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Representatives  introduced the Help Ensure Lower Patient (HELP) Copays Act (S. 864), bipartisan legislation that would require health care insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to count payments they receive on a patient’s behalf—including payments from nonprofit organizations or drug manufacturers—toward the patient’s annual deductibles and out-of-pocket limit

Act now to urge your lawmakers to protect patients from soaring out of pocket costs! The ACR’s Legislative Action Center will allow you to contact your members of Congress with just a few clicks. Take a moment to send your letter today!