Columbus Medical Association Supports Passage of HB 135

The Columbus Medical Association strongly supports Wednesday’s passage of Ohio House Bill 135 by the Ohio House of Representatives. 

“Our doctors felt that patients shouldn’t be the ones suffering while drug manufacturers and insurance companies argue over costs,” said Malcolm Porter, the public policy consultant for CMA. 

Previously stalled in the rules committee since March 2021, HB 135 finally made its way to the House for a vote Wednesday and was passed. It now heads to the Senate for approval. 

The basis of the bill requires insurance companies to include all amounts paid by an insured individual or group when calculating a cost-sharing requirement. For example, if a covered individual receives a coupon for a drug that stipulates that the drug’s manufacturer will pay the copayment, that would have to be counted toward any cost-sharing requirement that a health plan might impose. 

“The high cost of medication for patients can be a leading barrier to accessing healthcare,” the CMA Public Policy Committee said in a statement to legislators this week. “Patients are caught in the middle of a complex pricing structure of medicines that is dominated by large insurance and pharmaceutical companies. 

“Our patients’ health must not be placed in the middle of the on-going challenges of medication pricing in American healthcare.” 

The bill exempts any payment made for a brand-name drug when a generic equivalent exists unless determined medically necessary. 

The Columbus Medical Association is medicine reorganized. We are physicians and other experts improving the health of caregivers, patients, and communities. We are committed to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access for all. Learn more about the CMA and our affiliates at columbusmedicalassociation.org.

The next meeting of the Public Policy Committee is Thursday, April 7. To get involved, visit columbusmedicalassociation.org/advocacy.