This is the third in a 5-part series of reports on copay accumulators by FOX 13 investigative reporter Robyn Oguinye. Click here to read the previous installment.
Though the cost of Carter’s treatments will and have continued to mount, the Bowens did not have to fork out thousands of dollars on their own.But in 2019 after ordering Carter’s first batch of medicine for the year, the family realized they owed much more than expected. During this year’s legislative session, FOX 13 News spoke to Sen. Curtis Bramble about legislation he sponsored for a second time, which would have required an insurer to calculate any amounts paid on behalf of an individual to count toward their deductible.Similar legislation has also failed in Utah several times in years past.
The federal government lost that lawsuit. As of September of last year, that meant all copay assistance should count toward a consumer’s deductible.“Typically in the states who are in this camp, we follow what the federal government enforces,” said Pike. “There are a number of states that have their own accumulator laws already on the books, so typically those are the states that are enforcing those laws. In our case, we don’t have such a law on the state books at this time.