Colorado House Approves Legislation That Would Bar Insurers From Providing Incentives for Prescribing Generic Drugs

The Colorado House on Monday voted 62-3 to approve a bill (HB 1411) that would ban insurance companies from offering physicians cash incentives to switch patients to less-costly generic versions of prescription drugs, the Denver Post reports. State Rep. Rosemary Marshall (D), sponsor of the bill, said that while the issue of monetary rewards has not yet surfaced in the state, lawmakers should address the issue now to prevent potential harm to patients, as well as debates about how the practice might save money. The bill, which is supported by pharmaceutical companies, has drawn criticism from insurers that believe the law would damage pay-for-performance systems that compensate physicians for cutting health care costs and penalize them for spending too much, the Post reports. The bill now moves to the Senate (Fender, Denver Post, 4/29).