H.B. 153 Summary

• Prohibits health plan issuers from increasing cost-sharing burden on covered persons for drugs during a plan year.

• Prohibits moving a drug to a more restrictive tier or removing a drug from a health benefit plan's formulary, except when the FDA questions the drug's safety, the manufacturer discontinues it, or it is removed from U.S. sale.

• Prevents health plan issuers from imposing new prior authorization requirements or other coverage limitations on drugs during a plan year.

• Allows pharmacists to substitute generically equivalent or interchangeable biological products for prescribed drugs, and allows health plan issuers to require such substitutions during a plan year.

• Classifies violations of these medication switching restrictions as unfair and deceptive insurance practices under Ohio law.