Aimed Monthly

Sec. 1264 of Congress’s final omnibus bill of 2022 increases the number of days a provider has to administer injectable buprenorphine from 14 days to 45 after receipt. This change will help ensure individuals with opioid use disorder have appropriate time to organize logistics such as transportation, childcare, and insurance coverage to access their treatment. 

Aimed Alliance supported the passage of this legislation by hosting a legislative briefing on S. 3257; sending a letter of support for the legislation to the Senate signed by 20 organizations; working with advocates to send state-specific letters to committee leaders; publishing features of bill supporters Aimed Alliance and Young People in Recovery; and publishing an op-ed by Michael Barnes, Counsel to Aimed Alliance, in Pain News Network: There Is Another Drug Reform the Senate Must Pass.

Thank you to everyone who helped secure passage of this federal legislation! 

On December 23, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill restricting copay accumulators (S5229A/A1741A). The bill requires health insurers to count third-party financial assistance for prescription drugs toward patients’ deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, out-of-pocket maximums, and any other cost-sharing requirement. The new law will protect consumers who rely on financial assistance to access their medically necessary treatments. The New York Step Therapy Coalition actively supported this legislation throughout 2022. Learn more about the bill here.

Now Available: Cannabis, CBD, and Cannabinoids: What Employers and Consumers Should Know 
 

On December 6, Aimed Alliance hosted a webinar on HR.com titled Cannabis, CBD, and Cannabinoids: What Employers and Consumers Should Know. During this one-hour program, speakers examined definitions and the U.S. federal and state legal status of cannabis, marijuana, hemp, CBD, and other cannabinoid products. Panelists also discussed products’ research and evidence base and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval status, which is essential to understanding the health and safety profiles of these products. Watch the webinar here.

Aimed Alliance Releases Health Equity in IBD Report and Resources
 

Aimed Alliance has released its new report “Health Equity in IBD,” which discusses barriers experienced by patients of color in receiving an IBD diagnosis and treatment. The new report is available here. In conjunction with this report, Aimed Alliance has released three new resources for patients with IBD.  

• Know Your Rights: The Americans with Disabilities Act – English and Spanish 
• Know Your Rights: The Family Medical Leave Act – English and Spanish 
• Know Your Rights: The Health Insurance Appeals Process – English and Spanish  

Aimed Alliance has released two new resources to help employers and human resources professionals assess coverage of cannabinoids and workplace risks: (1) "Cannabinoid Insurance Coverage Mandates: Legal Considerations," which discusses federal and state laws and regulations governing cannabinoids; and (2) "Cannabinoids: A Fact Sheet for Health Care Decision Makers," which provides a more detailed analysis of the interplay between state and federal laws governing cannabinoids, and explains the potential federal-law implications of state-mandated coverage of non-FDA-approved cannabinoids.  

Report Underscores Disproportionate Claim Denial Rates for Black and Hispanic Patients
  

A report released by the Institute for Patient Access sheds light on disproportionate claim rejection rates and their impacts on health outcomes in communities of color. The report, which analyzed Medicare and commercial health plan pharmacy claims for 3.74 million people living with asthma, chronic kidney disease, or cardiovascular disease, found that Black and Hispanic patients are more likely than white patients to have their prescriptions rejected by their health plan and experience worse health outcomes. Read the full report here.

On December 22, Aimed Alliance released a new resource on gold card laws across the United States. This new resource provides an analysis of passed, proposed, and failed gold card legislation from 2019 through 2022. The new resource is available here.

Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF) has launched a free, interactive tool analyzing how state laws prohibiting copay accumulators and maximizers have affected health insurance premiums. Opponents of prohibiting copay accumulators and maximizers have claimed that such laws increase health insurance premiums. The analysis found that these state laws, which protect patient-assistance programs, have not had a statistically significant impact on insurance premiums. Visit the interactive tool here.     

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia sided with the State of Georgia, holding that the rescission of the 1115 waiver was arbitrary, and that CMS failed to consider that rescinding the program could mean less Medicaid coverage in Georgia. CMS has declined to appeal the decision. As a result, Georgia’s Medicaid work requirement program is set to take effect July 1, 2023. Review our lawsuit tracker to learn more about Medicaid work requirements, available here. 

On December 13, Aimed Alliance hosted a webinar on HR.com titled “Essential Health Benefits, Importation, and More — Do You Know the Risks?”. The speakers discussed the potential legal and practical implications of employers partnering with third-party companies that advise plans to circumvent federal patient protections and exploit copay assistance or import medications from outside the United States. Watch the webinar here.