Earlier this week, the New Jersey State Assembly voted to advance a bill that seeks to create more stability for patients. The proposal (Assembly Bill 5217) would curb an unfair insurance practice that makes critical medication more expensive and access unpredictable. With its passage in committee, advocates with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) are hopeful that the full Senate and Governor Murphy see the bill’s momentum as a call to action to take the final steps to pass and enact the necessary reforms.
Current practices in New Jersey make it so that a patient who receives copay assistance to fill a prescription for a lifesaving medication may incur hefty, unexpected medical bills—a result of insurers not applying copayments to a patient’s deductible or out-of-pocket maximum. Insurance carriers in New Jersey implement this tactic, known as “copay accumulator adjustment programs,” which, in effect, divert funds meant to help patients meet their prescription costs. Advocates with ACS CAN are looking to end this practice in New Jersey.
Among the ACS CAN survivors advocating for Assembly Bill 5217 is Dr. Aime Franco, PhD. She is a cancer researcher who navigated increasingly expensive copayments during her cancer treatment and so understands how important it is to ensure patient accessibility to lifesaving medication and predictability around their payments.
She said, “Even I, being a health care employee and financially stable, have forgone or delayed care because of the high costs. What about all the patients who can’t afford to pay exorbitant copays or delay treatment? Our lawmakers need to be thinking about and voting for them. I was heartened to see the Assembly vote in agreement—that we cannot continue to allow patients to be misled, unable to benefit from the support and care they’ve been promised. My fellow ACS CAN volunteers and I hope that their colleagues in the Senate share that belief and vote to put patients first.”
Supporters of the bills are looking to end this practice by clarifying that all payments made by the patient or on behalf of the patient by a third-party program count toward the patient’s deductible and out-of-pocket maximum, creating more predictability around medication expenses.
Quinton Law, Government Relations Director for ACS CAN in New Jersey, said, “Countless cancer patients in New Jersey believe that financial assistance will ease the crushing burden of prescription drug costs—only to be blindsided when they realize the payment they made with third-party assistance doesn’t count toward their out-of-pocket obligations. Their relief turns to shock as they discover they still owe thousands, despite receiving help.”
In 2025, approximately 59,840 New Jerseyans will be diagnosed with cancer and 15,180 are expected to die from the disease. ACS CAN and its volunteer advocates are hopeful that New Jersey lawmakers will serve as partners in the effort to reduce the burden of disease for many thousands across the state.
To learn more about how ACS CAN advocates for cancer patients and survivors at the local, state and federal levels or to learn more about how to get involved in our advocacy efforts, visit https://www.fightcancer.org/states/new-jersey.
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About ACS CAN
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) advocates for evidence-based public policies to reduce the cancer burden for everyone. We engage our volunteers across the country to make their voices heard by policymakers at every level of government. We believe everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. Since 2001, as the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN has successfully advocated for billions of dollars in cancer research funding, expanded access to quality affordable health care, and advanced proven tobacco control measures. We stand with our volunteers, working to make cancer a top priority for policymakers in cities, states and our nation’s capital. Join the fight by visiting www.fightcancer.org.