ASSEMBLY BUDGET COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 1614

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 27, 2023

      The Assembly Budget Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 1614 (1R).

      As amended, this bill places a flat cap on the out-of-pocket contribution for any covered person prescribed a short-acting, intermediate-acting, rapid-acting, long-acting, or pre-mixed insulin product, an epinephrine auto-injector device, or a prescription asthma inhaler across insurance providers.  Coverage for these items may not be subject to any deductible, and copayments or coinsurance are capped at $35 per 30-day supply of insulin, $25 for epinephrine auto-injector devices per 30-day supply, and $50 for prescription asthma inhalers per 30-day supply.

      These coverage standards apply to individual or group hospital service corporations, medical service corporations, and health service corporations as well as individual and group health insurance policies and health maintenance organizations.  Additionally, the bill extends these coverage standards to individual and small employer health benefits plans and require that the State Health Benefits Commission and the School Employee’s Health Benefits Commission ensure that their contracts comply with the coverage standards.

      As reported by the committee, Senate Bill No. 1614 (1R) is identical to Assembly Bill No. 2839 (1R), as also amended and reported by the committee.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

      (1)  stipulate that the insurance coverage for insulin products already provided for under the bill includes short-acting and intermediate acting insulin products; and

      (2)  make a technical correction.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      Fiscal information is currently unavailable.