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New NJ law allows patients earlier refills for their eye drops
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A new bill signed into law in New Jersey requires insurance companies and health plans to cover early refill of prescription eye drops at 70% of the predicted days of use, to prevent potential interruptions in therapy, according to a New Jersey Academy of Ophthalmology press release.
The new law helps ensure that people are not forced to skip critical prescription eye drops due to spilled or lost solution, according to the release.
For example, for a prescribed medication with an expected duration of 30 days of use, the refills would be permitted at 21 days instead of the usual 30 days most benefit programs allow, the release said.
This is particularly important for glaucoma patients, it said.
"It is not at all unusual for a young and healthy patient to have trouble administering eye drops, and getting every drop to hit the eye every time. It is virtually impossible for the elderly, or those with tremors, Parkinson's, arthritis or poor sight to do this," New Jersey Academy of Ophthalmology President Cecily Lesko, MD, said in the release. "If you drop a pill, you can always pick it up and try again. But if you miss your eye, that eye drop is lost forever."
Gov. Chris Christie signed the bill earlier this month, and it will take effect in August 2013, the release said.