Conaway, Vainieri Huttle, Mukherji on New Measure Requiring Insurers to Provide Alternative List When Denying Prescription Drugs

TRENTON, New Jersey, Feb. 13 -- The New Jersey Assembly Democrats issued the following joint statement:

On a newly introduced legislation (A-4915) that would require health insurance carriers to provide, when denying coverage for a prescription drug, a written list of all covered alternative drugs that are interchangeable with and therapeutically equivalent to the denied medication, the bill's sponsors, Assembly Democrats Herb Conaway, Jr., MD (D-Burlington), Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) and Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson) issued the following statement Wednesday:

"This bill will help prevent delays in getting patients their medication. Under the current system, when a carrier denies coverage of a prescription drug, the pharmacist and physician work together to determine an alternative medication.

"In some instances, the alternative is not covered by the insurance plan either.

"Consequently, patients face the additional burden of waiting even longer for a crucial component of their medical care.

"As a means of expediting this process, requiring a written list of the alternative medications will prevent such delays and help patients get the medications that they need."