NY State Price Cap Law Means Asthma Inhalers at Zero Cost

Asthma inhalers will be available to New Yorkers at no cost under a new law signed by Governor Kathy Hochul. The legislation requires insurers to provide both a maintenance and rescue inhaler to patients for $0 each.

“Over a million New Yorkers – including children – will finally get the asthma inhalers they need at no cost,” New York Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas tells Allergic Living. “No one should struggle to breathe because they can’t afford a lifesaving inhaler.”

González-Rojas introduced the bill (A128A) in the state Assembly that Hochul signed on November 21, 2025. New York Senator Gustavo Rivera introduced the bill (S1804A) in the state Senate.

The law, which goes into effect in January 2027, requires state-regulated insurance plans to cover at least one maintenance inhaler and one rescue inhaler monthly, with no out-of-pocket costs.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) applauds the law’s signing. Jenna Riemenschneider, AAFA’s vice president of policy and advocacy, points to the cost of inhalers as a primary barrier to patients receiving recommended treatment.

“By taking steps to lower patient costs, this legislation will help New Yorkers with asthma better manage their condition,” Riemenschneider tells Allergic Living.

Inhaler Price Caps in Other States

New York is the first state to mandate that health insurers eliminate deductibles, copays, coinsurance or other cost-sharing requirements on the asthma medication for patients.

The law in New York follows other states, which have passed laws to cap the monthly price of asthma medication. Those laws went into effect January 1, 2025. They include:

Illinois: $25 price cap. The state law also prohibits health insurance companies from denying or limiting coverage for inhalers starting Jan. 1, 2026.
Minnesota: $25 price cap.
New Jersey: $50 price cap.
Washington – $35 price cap.

AAFA has long advocated for improved access to asthma inhalers. The nonprofit continues to work on legislation throughout the United States, such as the price cap laws.

For example, AAFA supported HB 600 in Montana to stock and authorize emergency use of albuterol in schools. The legislation was signed by the governor in May 2025.

In addition, the nonprofit contributed to a 2024 investigation by lawmakers into the cost of inhalers. The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) criticized major pharmaceutical companies for high respiratory inhaler costs.

Following the investigation, drugmakers AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) capped the costs on their inhaler products for patients with asthma and COPD. AAFA provides a breakdown of pharmaceutical company price caps on its website.

Disparities in Asthma Care

The patient stories and information AAFA shared with the HELP committee, are included in its Asthma Disparities in America report. The research highlighted the huge toll asthma takes on Black, Hispanic and Indigenous populations in terms of prevalence, hospital visits and deaths.

Those disparities are significant in the districts represented by both New York lawmakers who introduced the law to eliminate inhaler cost.

González-Rojas represents Astoria, Queens, which is referred to as “asthma alley” due to high rates of asthma hospitalization. And the Bronx, represented by Rivera, has the highest rate of asthma in New York City, according to the Asthma Burden in NYC Report.

“For too long, communities like mine in Astoria’s ‘Asthma Alley’ have borne the brunt of pollution and sky-high medicine prices,” González-Rojas says.

In New York State, an estimated 1.4 million adults and 315,000 children had asthma as of 2021, according to the state Department of Health. Now, under the new law, those asthma patients can access respiratory inhalers with no out-of-pocket costs.

“I’m proud that our bill with Senator Rivera is now law, and grateful to the advocates who fought alongside us,” González-Rojas says.