State News

In a major victory for consumers, a federal judge in Kansas City, Kansas, is allowing a lawsuit over EpiPen price hikes to move ahead, according to KCUR. The lawsuit will determine whether drugmakers sought to monopolize the EpiPen market after they dramatically hiked the price of the device, triggering consumer fury and a congressional investigation. The judge’s ruling also allows consumers to sue for damages under state antitrust laws. 

Ohio’s Prescription Drug Transparency and Affordability Advisory Council, a panel of government, business and consumer advocates exploring ways to ensure that pharmaceutical drugs, has convened to discuss their recommendations for the state’s governor, according to the Times Reporter. Ohio currently spends about $3.5 billion a year on prescription drugs for state employees, injured workers, Medicaid beneficiaries, incarcerated prisoners and others. The Advisory Council is considering bulk purchasing and price transparency strategies..

SHADAC has released an update to Minnesota's Uninsured Profile Tool in partnership with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Minnesota. The update enables users to view the rates and characteristics of the uninsured population by state, region, county, and ZIP code and by state legislative district. The profile, which is available for download on the SHADAC site, also includes an updated version of the companion interactive map.

A majority of Illinoisans have had difficulty affording healthcare and prescription drugs in the past year, according to a new study by Consumer Healthcare Experience State Survey. According to a recent Health News Illinois article, Rep. Will Guzzardi unveiled a proposal that would create a new state board that would review data on drug prices and set new payment limits for state-regulated plans. This CHES Survey was commissioned by Protect Our Care Illinois and Altarum’s Healthcare Value Hub. 

According to a new Altarum survey, 81 percent of residents say they are “worried” or “very worried” about being able to afford some aspect of healthcare in the future, such as prescription drug costs and health insurance. WTTW reports that Illinois residents have continuously reported concern about rising healthcare costs, and how they will pay for them in the future.

Legislation aimed at ending surprise bills for emergency hospital visits in Georgia under certain insurance plans passed unanimously out of the Georgia Senate. According to Marietta Daily Journal, Senate Bill 359 would prohibit hospitals from handing patients unexpectedly large bills for emergency procedures done by specialists who are outside that hospital’s coverage network.

The Florida Agency for Health Care, armed with 31 percent of Florida’s total state budget, is exploring new strategies to address resident and other stakeholder concerns. For one, the state wants to focus on shifting spending upstream (towards early intervention and prevention instead of the ED) due to worry about inconsistent health outcomes. Though the state has already launched a health price finder, the agency is looking do reduce utilization of low value services, according to the Sun Sentinel. Other strategies target issues related to nursing home care, mental health, provider competition. These priorities were developed through provider and health expert convenings throughout the state.

The New York State Department of Health announced that 150,000 New Yorkers enrolled in healthcare through the state’s Marketplace in 2019, bringing the total enrollment to almost 5 million, according to News10. The Department of Health explains that the numbers are consistent with the state’s historically lowest uninsured rate of 4.7%. A more detailed report, including county data, for 2020 Marketplace enrollment is underway at the Department.

The Minnesota Attorney General unveiled a task force report that makes 14 recommendations for lowering prescription drug prices, ranging from new legislation to stronger enforcement, according to the Crookston Times. The 14 recommendations mentioned in the report fall into three broad categories: to make the markets work better for consumers; to use the government’s purchasing power to make drugs more affordable and accessible; and to require more transparency and accountability in the market.