If you’ve never needed an EpiPen, consider yourself lucky. EpiPens are lifesaving medications that are used when people have a severe allergic reaction. These emergency reactions can happen to people of any age, but disturbingly, most states don’t require insurance companies to actually cover EpiPen auto-injectors. Unfortunately, this reality means that people who live with severe allergies may not be able to afford EpiPens as needed. This can result in people trying to use expired ones or not using them at all, which can lead to ending up in the hospital. Or worse.
What state will become the first in the country to change that? Illinois. The state bill, called House Bill 3435, passed 92-0 in the Illinois House and 51-0 in the state Senate and requires insurance companies to cover EpiPens for anyone 18 or younger. It will take effect on January 1, 2020.
“With steady increases in food allergies and other serious allergic conditions, families are relying on EpiPens more than ever before,” Illinois State Senator Julie Morrison wrote in a statement. “We should be doing everything we can to expand access to affordable lifesaving drugs and medicines. No child with a serious allergy should be without an epinephrine injector because they cannot afford one.”
However, there are some important caveats here. First of all, this law applies to only people 18 and under. Second, just because insurance companies have to cover it doesn’t mean it’s actually free. It just means that people with insurance won’t have to pay the list price for their lifesaving medication, which can run up to $600 without coverage.
If you feel like you’ve heard about the debacle surrounding the cost of EpiPens before, you’re probably thinking about the massive increase in price that came about a few years ago. For a while, even without insurance coverage, EpiPens were (relatively) affordable. CNN reports that in 2009, for example, two EpiPens came to about $100. In 2016, the price skyrocketed to $600.
What caused the increase? Put simply: Corporate greed. Mylan, the company behind the surging cost, bought the drug and, basically, said they raised the price because they could. They didn’t have any competitors—or apparently, any ethics—so the price shot up. You might remember that the CEO of Mylan, Heather Bresch, eventually testified before a House Oversight Committee about the price inflation. Also: She lied about how much the company made on each prescription.
This past year, the FDA approved a generic version, which helped lower costs. Of course, at the end of the day, everyone—including adults—should have affordable access to lifesaving medications. But this move from Illinois is definitely a step in the right direction.