S. 2546 · 116th Congress
Safe Step Act
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 116th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
R
MurkowskiSponsor18 cosponsors · 9 D, 8 R, 1 I
R
Cassidy
KC
R
Cramer
MH
D
Hassan
CH
R
Hyde-Smith
DJ
D
Jones
AK
I
King
JR
D
Rosen
JM
R
Moran
KS
D
Sinema
SC
R
Capito
TT
R
Tillis
SC
R
Collins
MH
D
Hirono
JM
D
Merkley
KG
D
Gillibrand
JK
R
Kennedy
RB
D
Blumenthal
JS
D
Shaheen7 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill requires a group health plan to establish an exception to medication step-therapy protocol in specified cases. A medication step-therapy protocol establishes a specific sequence in which prescription drugs are covered by a group health plan or a health insurance issuer.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Sep 25, 2019
Safe Step Act
This bill requires a group health plan to establish an exception to medication step-therapy protocol in specified cases. A medication step-therapy protocol establishes a specific sequence in which prescription drugs are covered by a group health plan or a health insurance issuer.
A request for such an exception to the protocol must be granted if (1) an otherwise required treatment has been ineffective, (2) such treatment is expected to be ineffective and delaying effective treatment would lead to irreversible consequences, (3) such treatment will cause or is likely to cause an adverse reaction to the individual, (4) such treatment is expected to prevent the individual from performing daily activities or occupational responsibilities, (5) the individual is stable based on the prescription drugs already selected, or (6) there are other circumstances as determined by the Employee Benefits Security Administration.
The bill requires a group health plan to implement and make readily available a clear process for an individual to request an exception to the protocol, including required information and criteria for granting an exception. The bill further specifies timelines under which plans must respond to such requests.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Safe Step Act
Latest action (Sep 25, 2019): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Policy area: Health · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Sep 25, 2019
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.