The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians strongly supports recently introduced legislation to reform the step therapy process. Senate Bill (SB) 56 and House Bill (HB) 72 are proposals under consideration to minimize barriers to treatment by improving the step therapy process, a tool insurers use to limit how much they spend covering patients’ medications.
Use the American Academy of Family Physicians’ Speak Out website to send your message. The process is quick and easy—contact your state representative and state senator today!
SB 56 and HB 72 seek to improve the step therapy process by:
- Requiring that an insurer’s process for requesting a step therapy override is transparent and available to the physician and patient
- Allowing automatic exceptions to step therapy requirements when:
- The required prescription drug is contraindicated or will likely cause an adverse reaction
- The required prescription drug is expected to be ineffective
- The patient has previously tried the required drug or a drug in the same pharmacologic class and the drug was ineffective or caused an adverse event
- The required prescription drug is not in the best interest of the patient based on medical appropriateness
- The patient is stable on a prescription drug for the medical condition under consideration.
- Ensuring that step therapy programs are based on clinical guidelines developed by independent experts.
Please support SB 56 and HB 72 as passage of either will improve patient care in Ohio.