According to a story from CBS Minnesota, legislation was recently filed in Minnesota that could end the practice of step therapy in the state. Step therapy is a common money saving tactic employed by health insurance companies that often has serious consequences for the health of patients.
When an insurance company decides to use step therapy, patients are forced to try medications that the company covers before the company agrees to cover the drug that their care provider has recommended. Only if the initial drugs do not work will the company then provide coverage for the drug that the doctor prescribed. The tactic can be especially devastating for patients that require prompt treatment in order to obtain the best outcomes. The practice has been roundly criticized as an unnecessary and harmful intrusion of the part of insurance providers.
The common defense from insurers is that it helps keep costs down, but it is patients that are paying the price when their health suffers.
An example of a patient that was a victim of this practice was Brian Bierbaum. Last summer, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 34. This is an illness that can progressively worsen rapidly in some cases. His insurance provider put him on a host of different medications for over six months before he could use the treatment recommended by his doctor. None of them worked, and Brian is convinced that half of his symptoms are the result of having effective treatment delayed during this period. Thankfully, the original treatment assigned by his doctor has begun to help him.
Rep. Kelly Fenton (R-Woodbury) was the lawmaker to first introduce the bill that would stop this practice. The bill would put doctors back in control of treatment and prevent insurance companies from using step therapy. The bill has already passed the House and will be addressed in the Senate soon as well. Minnesota governor Mark Dayton has also expressed his support.
