Lawmaker wants $35 limit on insulin copays for more Granite Staters
New Hampshire residents pay no more than $35 for a 30-day supply of insulin – if they have commercial insurance or Medicaid coverage. Proposed legislation would extend that cap to people who don’t have insurance and earn too much to qualify for Medicaid.
Rep. Joshua Adjutant, an Enfield Democrat, has filed a “legislative service request” seeking to expand Medicaid eligibility to allow that group to take advantage of the insulin price cap.
Adjutant said his proposed legislation is an extension of House Bill 1280, which passed in 2020, requiring commercial insurers to cap insulin copays at $30 for a 30-day supply. (The federal government caps the Medicaid copay at $35, and President Joe Biden signed a bill last month that will set a $35 cap beginning next year for Medicare recipients.)
The 2020 bill passed unanimously in the state Senate and 223-121 in the House, with only Republicans voting against it. It took effect in September that year.
“It was a good bill but it lacked that critical component of expanding (the cap) to people who don’t have commercial insurance,” Adjutant said.
Steven Porter
His proposal would target people with diabetes who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, which is $36,800 for a family of four, and don’t have commercial insurance. They would qualify only for the insulin copay cap, not other Medicaid benefits, he said.
Because the legislation is in its earliest stages, it does not include cost estimates to the state or an estimate on how many people would benefit.
Incumbents seeking re-election may file legislative service requests ahead of the November election. If they lose, their proposed bills are withdrawn. Adjutant’s bill is almost certain to survive because he is running unopposed.
This story was produced by the editorially independent New Hampshire Bulletin, which is part of States Newsroom. Contact Editor Dana Wormald for questions: info@newhampshirebulletin.com.