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Senate committee approves SB192 to let insurers prefer biosimilars under step‑therapy rules
Summary
The Senate Insurance & Commerce Committee voted to advance SB192, which adds FDA‑approved biosimilars and interchangeable biologic products to exceptions in state step‑therapy law, allowing insurers to favor those products on formularies while preserving prescriber control and patient consent.
The Senate Insurance & Commerce Committee advanced SB192 after a discussion focused on whether the change would shift clinical decisions from prescribers to insurers.
Senator Sandra Boyd, sponsor of SB192, told the committee the bill adds biosimilars and interchangeable biologic products to the list of allowed step‑therapy exceptions, saying the products are "FDA‑approved medications that are very close to the originator product" and that allowing insurers to prefer biosimilars would introduce competition that could lower drug prices. "These are drugs that cost hundreds to thousands of dollars," Boyd said, adding the change is intended to "save the health care system a lot of money."
Committee…
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