Kean, bipartisan group reintroduce bill aimed at lowering prescription drug costs for patients
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan coalition led by Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-N.J.) has reintroduced legislation aimed at reducing out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for patients with rare, serious and chronic conditions by ensuring copay assistance counts toward insurance cost-sharing requirements.
The Help Ensure Lower Patient (HELP) Copays Act was reintroduced Thursday by Kean along with Reps. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.). The lawmakers say the measure would close loopholes that allow insurers and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) to collect copay assistance without applying it toward a patient’s deductible or annual out-of-pocket maximum.
“Copay assistance programs help make costly medications attainable for Americans who rely on them. Yet under current law, insurers and PBMs can pocket this assistance without lowering patients’ cost-sharing obligations. Our bipartisan legislation will fix that problem by ensuring those savings are passed on to patients. This solution will protect access to essential prescription drugs, reduce overall healthcare costs for families, and hold these health companies accountable,” Kean said.
Barragán said the measure is vital for families struggling with chronic illness.
“For patients living with complex and chronic diseases, access to prescription drugs that help them manage their condition saves lives, plain and simple. But too many Americans are unable to afford the medications they need because the out-of-pocket costs are too high. This is unacceptable. … This bipartisan bill will help working American families afford their prescriptions by putting a stop to harmful practices by insurance companies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers, and ensuring that patients’ copay assistance counts towards their cost-sharing requirements.”
Rep. Miller-Meeks, a physician, said the bill reflects a real-world need she has seen firsthand.
“Too many patients are forced to walk away from the pharmacy counter because their out-of-pocket costs are simply too high. The HELP Copays Act is a commonsense, bipartisan solution that ensures financial assistance, from nonprofits or drug manufacturers, actually counts toward a patient’s deductible and copay.”
Fitzpatrick said the legislation prevents insurers and PBMs from shifting financial burdens onto patients.
“For people living with chronic and rare diseases, copay assistance is often the only path to staying on lifesaving treatment. Yet far too many are paying twice, while insurers and PBMs pocket that assistance without ever counting it toward a patient’s costs. That’s wrong—and it’s exactly what the bipartisan HELP Copays Act corrects,” he said.
The bill would:
- Clarify the Affordable Care Act to require health plans to count payments made “by or on behalf of” patients — including assistance from nonprofits and manufacturers — toward cost-sharing requirements.
- Close the ACA’s Essential Health Benefit loophole to ensure any covered prescription drug is considered “essential,” requiring all related cost-sharing to be counted toward a patient’s limits.
The full text of the House bill is available online. A companion Senate bill (S.864) was introduced in March 2025 by Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.).
The legislation is endorsed by the All Copays Count Coalition, a network of nearly 90 national patient and provider advocacy organizations.
