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Senate Health & Welfare members warn proposed Medicaid copay hike would burden low‑income patients
Summary
Committee members criticized an administration plan to raise Medicaid prescription copays from $1/$3 to $4/$8, saying it would deter low‑income patients from filling prescriptions, strain small pharmacies and yield modest net state savings while shifting federal match dollars.
The Vermont Senate Committee on Health & Welfare spent a portion of its meeting reviewing an administration proposal to raise Medicaid prescription drug copays and debating the effects on patients and pharmacies.
The chair opened the discussion by framing the committee’s priorities around prevention and primary care and asking members to weigh in on the copay plan. A committee member summarized the proposal as raising generic drug copays from $1 to $4 and brand or higher‑tier copays from $3 to $8.
“That may not sound like much, but these are very low‑income people,” the committee member said, arguing higher copays can stop…
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