The poll found that 82% of Republicans, 92% of Democrats, and 91% of Independents polled supported legislation to limit nonmedical switching.
WPA Intelligence, a national polling organization, recently conducted a telephone poll among 500 likely Texas voters from August 27, 2018 to August 29, 2018 to determine the importance of a candidate’s views on nonmedical switching before casting a vote.
Nonmedical switching is used by insurers to limit prescribing to preferred medications. These changes to a patient’s medication—including, in some cases, a switch from a reference biologic to a biosimilar—can particularly impact patients with chronic conditions who are controlling their disease on a given regimen.
Learn more about nonmedical switching and biosimilars.
WPA Intelligence randomly selected a sample of likely voters from the Texas voter file using Proportionate Probability Sampling. Additionally, the sample for the survey was stratified based on geography, age, and gender.
The poll revealed that the majority of people want consistent health plan coverage for their prescription medications, and are in fact more likely to support legislators who will protect that coverage.
Specifically, the poll found that:
The report also noted that concerns about nonmedical switching were not limited to any specific party, as 82% of Republicans, 92% of Democrats, and 91% of Independents polled supported legislation to limit nonmedical switching.
Nonmedical switching has garnered more attention from legislators and voters alike as several states have enacted or are considering enacting laws to address the practice.
The most recent states to act against nonmedical switching include Maine, which in July passed a law that requires insurers to give 60 days’ notice to affected patients before changing its formulary, and notify patients of their right to request exemptions. Illinois passed a law just last month that similarly requires insurers notify patients and provide details about the exemption process.
Julie Reed: Why 2024 Is Important for Biosimilars
April 17th 2024Julie Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum, showcases how the biosimilar industry is expected to develop throughout 2024, including major policy changes and hope for continued improvement in market share for adalimumab biosimilars.
A New Chapter: How 2023 Will Shape the US Biosimilar Space for 2024 and Beyond
December 31st 2023On this episode of Not So Different, Cencora's Brian Biehn and Corey Ford take a look back at major policy and regulatory advancements in 2023 and how these changes will alter the space going forward.
BioRationality: Removing the Misconceptions Surrounding Interchangeability
April 15th 2024Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, outlines the current state of interchangeable biosimilars in the US and policy changes needed to clear up misconceptions surrounding the meaning behind interchangeability designations.
What AmerisourceBergen's Report Reveals About Payers, Biosimilar Pricing Trends
May 28th 2023On this episode of Not So Different, Tasmina Hydery and Brian Biehn from AmerisourceBergen discussed results from a recent survey, that were also presented at Asembia 2023, diving into the payer perspective on biosimilars and current pricing trends across the US biosimilar industry.
Rising Biosimilar Adoption for an Italian Payer Will Benefit National Health Care System, Patients
April 9th 2024Data from 2021 and 2022 indicates increasing biosimilar use in an Italian health care company, with potential for full adoption in the future, benefiting both the National Health System and citizens through efficient and sustainable health care policies.
Review Highlights Most Popular European Policies to Boost Biosimilar Uptake
April 3rd 2024Although tender systems are a common strategy to encourage biosimilar utilization across Europe, policies like automatic substitution are rarely utilized, according to a systematic review of European policies and biosimilar uptake.