The cost of health care is always a top concern for me. This session, I wrote a new law that will help lower costs, make health care safer, and keep decisions between patients and their doctors.
Step therapy is a process used by health plans that determines the order in which prescription drugs should be given to patients. While the goal is to lower health care costs, it can be an obstacle between patients and the care their doctors prescribe for them.
Too often, a physician prescribes a particular drug treatment for a patient, but the patient’s insurance company requires them to try a cheaper treatment or series of treatments first. The patient is not able to try the second treatment until the first one is proven to “fail.” This delay can continue on through multiple medications before the insurer will finally consider covering the original prescription.
By putting common-sense exceptions to step therapy into law, we will be giving you, the patient access to the care your doctor prescribes. My new law helps provide transparency to this process and makes sure patients get the best care, quicker.