House Bill 16-1361, which would have allowed patients to freely select where to shop for medications, failed to garner support from the Republican majority on the legislature’s Senate Finance Committee and was subsequently turned down Friday.
Lawmakers who proposed the bill reasoned that they wanted to make it law to allow patients to refill their daily medications instead of waiting for mail-order drugs that could arrive too late or too damaged.
If the bill were enacted, patients will not be charged for purchasing from pharmacies outside of their insurers’ network. Additionally, out-of-network pharmacies would have to agree to the insurance company’s reimbursements.
Patrick Boyle, a lobbyist for pharmacy benefits managing company ExpressScripts, said that passing the measure will significantly drive up costs for health insurers and patients.
The bill passed the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on April 26 on a 4-1 vote, reported The Colorado Independent. Sen. Owen Hil, R-Colorado Springs, stood against the bill. Hill was also a member of the Finance Committee, where Republicans vehemently opposed the measure on a 3-2 party-line vote.
In an interview with The Colorado Independent, Hill said that a “free-market solution” would be a better way to solve the problem.
