Purpose

This bill aims to limit cost-sharing for epilepsy-related prescription drugs and medical supplies by amending the state’s health insurance provisions. It establishes definitions to define what counts as a chronic disease, what constitutes cost-sharing, and what medical supplies are considered related to treating a chronic disease.

Key provisions

• Amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 62Q.481 subdivision 2 (Definitions) to clarify terms used for cost-sharing provisions.
• Defines “Chronic disease” as including diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, and allergies that require the use of epinephrine autoinjectors.
• Defines “Costsharing” to mean copayments and coinsurance.
• Defines “Related medical supplies” to include items such as syringes, insulin pens, insulin pumps, test strips, glucometers, continuous glucose monitors, epinephrine autoinjectors, asthma inhalers, and other supplies necessary to effectively treat a chronic disease or to administer a prescribed chronic-disease drug.

Changes to existing law

• Introduces and formalizes specific definitions related to chronic diseases, cost-sharing, and related medical supplies within the cost-sharing framework.
• Expands or clarifies the set of supplies that could be subject to cost-sharing limitations (e.g., insulin-related devices, glucose monitoring equipment, epinephrine autoinjectors, inhalers).

Practical implications

• Providers, insurers, and patients would operate under clearer rules about what counts as a chronic disease and which medicines and supplies are eligible for reduced cost-sharing.
• By defining related medical supplies broadly, more items used to manage epilepsy and other chronic conditions may be eligible for lower out-of-pocket costs.
• Patients managing epilepsy, diabetes, asthma, or allergies may experience reduced copayments or coinsurance for certain prescription drugs and accompanying supplies.

Important notes

• The bill’s explicit stated purpose is to limit cost-sharing specifically for epilepsy-related prescription drugs and medical supplies, but the definitions provided also reference broader chronic-disease contexts that could influence related cost-sharing.

Relevant Terms costsharing copayments coinsurance epilepsy diabetes asthma allergies epinephrine autoinjectors related medical supplies insulin pens insulin pumps test strips glucometers continuous glucose monitors asthma inhalers prescription drug chronic disease Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 62Q.481 subdivision 2