Monthly $35 insulin cap for Washingtonians among bills signed into law Friday

Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law a new cap on out-of-pocket expenses for insulin. The legislation directs health care plans to limit one-month expenses for insulin to $35 beginning Jan. 1, 2023.

The bill follows similar legislation passed in 2020 which capped out-of-pocket expenses to $100 for a one-month supply of the life-saving medication. That previous cap expires with the beginning of the new, reduced maximum cost threshold for 30-day supplies of insulin.

Both efforts to make insulin more affordable for Washingtonians were sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines. The recent legislation passed the Senate 48-1, and the House 85-10.

“Making insulin as affordable as possible is the right thing to do,” Gov. Inslee said Friday as he signed the bill. “We are grateful that the Legislature is taking this action which wouldn’t be necessary if drug manufacturers and prescription benefit manufacturers or managers put saving people’s lives at the top of their list.”

Other bills signed by Inslee

Several police reform bills cleared Gov. Inslee’s desk Friday as well. HB 1719 looks to restore local police departments’ abilities to use non-lethal equipment as de-escalation; HB 1735 seeks to restore use of force protocols in certain dangerous or mental-health-related situations.

Inslee OKs bills clarifying police reform laws in Washington

Gov. Inslee also signed HB 1286 into law on Friday, which expands opportunities for telehealth medicine to native Washingtonians living outside of the state by modifying psychology licensing regulations.

The following bills also became law late last week:

HB 1798 streamlines efforts to generate marketing slogans that promote tourism in Washington state.

HB 1878 expands access to free in-school meals for students. Broadly, the legislation increases enrollment in student meal programs under the department of agriculture if a district reports a certain percentage of low-income population.

HB 1899 seeks to protect financial information disclosed via a public records request under the department of financial institutions.

SB 5252 improves communication between the schools and Indigenous Tribes by placing several training and reporting requirements on the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction with the intent to improve tribal consultation among schools.

SB 5564 protects employees, from disclosure to their employers, mental-health medical information communicated within an employee assistance program — a state-funded program that assists employees with trauma and short-term counseling.

Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest