More insurance mandates...

Signed in as opposed to two more insurance mandate bills today.

Both the Senate and Assembly Commerce and Labor Committees meet at 1:30 in the afternoon, and both have jurisdiction over insurance mandate bills.

In the Assembly, AB 268 was up. This would require all businesses who aren’t self-insured to cover new chemotherapy treatments, including pills that can be taken orally. The argument was made by the proponents of the bill that a pill regimen could potentially be much cheaper than chemo treatment that involves a doctor visit, IV drip, etc. The insurance industry, however, argued that evidence in Colorado showed that the drugs were actually the much more expensive option.

Senate Commerce and Labor took up SB 192, which would require insurance policies to cover name-brand drugs, but only charge generic prices to its policyholders. Apparently, the patient would not even have the option of using generic drugs. As name-brand drugs are not cheap, someone will have to make up that cost. That someone would be every small business owner who pays for health care and prescription coverage for their employees.

The Chamber remains opposed to all new health insurance mandates, as they tend to drive up the cost of every insurance policy.