As your constituent, I am writing to urge your support for the bipartisan Safe Step Act (H.R. 2630/S. 652). Step therapy protocols, also known as “fail first” protocols, are cost containment tools used by health plans to limit spending on prescription drugs, requiring patients to try a cheaper, insurer-preferred medication before being allowed to take the medication prescribed by their health care provider. While step therapy can be an important tool in curbing excessive drug costs, it often harms patients by delaying access to the most effective treatment, causing severe side effects, and leading to irreversible disease progression. Step therapy interferes with the provider-patient relationship and inhibits access to timely, quality care. I am writing to ask you to support policies that ensure patients can access the treatments they need when they need it. Please cosponsor the Safe Step Act (H.R. 2630/S. 652) to require health plans to provide a clear exception process for any medication step therapy protocol. Thank you for your ongoing work to support patients with serious chronic diseases.

As your constituent, I am writing to ask you to support policies that ensure patients can access the medications they need in a timely manner. Please cosponsor the bipartisan Safe Step Act (H.R. 2630/S. 652) to establish a clear exception process for health plan step therapy protocols. Step therapy protocols, also known as “fail first” protocols, are harmful cost management tools used by health plans to delay patient access to lifesaving medications by forcing the patient to try a cheaper, insurer-preferred drug first before being allowed to take their provider prescribed drug. Many patients with serious, life-threatening diseases cannot afford to wait for their prescribed medication before their condition irreversibly progresses. Thank you for your work to support patients access their health care provider prescribed medications.