Safe Step Act

This bill changes federal law on employer-sponsored health plans so that plans using "step therapy" (requiring patients to try a preferred drug before covering another one) must offer a process for patients or their prescribers to request an exception. Plans would have to grant exceptions in listed situations, such as when the required drugs did not work, could cause harm, or when the patient is already stable on the prescribed drug. Plans would have to decide requests within 72 hours, or within 24 hours in urgent cases, and approved exceptions would last at least one year. Plans would also report data on exception requests each year to the Secretary of Labor, who would summarize it for Congress and the public.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Rick W. Allen Republican sponsor
• 168 cosponsors