On Sept. 4, Congress reintroduced the EPIPEN Act, which caps out-of-pocket costs for a two-pack of epinephrine at $60 for patients with employer-based or individually purchased health insurance.
The College’s Advocacy Council strongly believes that this bill, if passed, would ensure easier access to epinephrine for allergy patients across the country.
The bill was introduced by Representatives Maxwell Frost (D-FL-10) and Doris Matsui (D-CA-7).
The College’s Advocacy Council was instrumental in leading this effort and met with Rep. Frost’s staff several times in an advisory role. The Advocacy Council specifically advised the sponsors on ensuring the bill’s language was inclusive of the multiple FDA-approved epinephrine delivery methods (auto-injector, nasal spray, sublingual films) that are available to patients. Rep. Frost’s social media post on X includes a graphic for the bill’s reintroduction that illustrates that the bill applies to all delivery methods.
ACAAI President Dr. James Tracy was quoted in the press release:
”ACAAI proudly endorses the EPIPEN Act, which requires health plans to cover self-administered epinephrine delivery systems and caps what patients pay for this important medication,” said James M. Tracy, DO, FACAAI, President, American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “Quick access to epinephrine can be the difference between life and death during an anaphylactic reaction. We thank Rep. Frost and Rep. Matsui for their leadership on this bill which will help make this life-saving medication more accessible to allergy patients.”
In particular, the Advocacy Council advocated for the bill to apply to all delivery systems, including nasal and sublingual. We were very grateful that the bill sponsors implemented our recommendation.
The introduction of this bill is a win for both allergy patients and their physicians. We will continue to monitor and support the bill through our advocacy on Capitol Hill.
The Advocacy Council – ADVOCATING FOR ALLERGISTS AND THEIR PATIENTS.
