Advocacy
State Update: Step Therapy – Where We Stand
posted: September 22, 2017
Over 50 patient and provider organizations are supporting the step therapy legislation in Ohio. The Ohio Step Therapy Coalition is meeting this week in Columbus for a fall advocacy day that they hope will be the last big push needed to move the legislation forward.
Senate Bill 56 currently resides in the Senate Health, Human Services and Medicaid Committee where it is awaiting a vote. The committee is chaired by State Senator Dave Burke, who is a practicing pharmacist in Marysville, Ohio.
Senator Burke has stated numerous times to advocates that he does not believe that this is an issue because he has not heard from enough patients that have fallen victim to this common practice. OAR advocates refuted this claim back in May during the joint advocacy day with the Arthritis Foundation when over 20 patients from around Ohio told their story to legislators.
OAR believes this legislation can move forward this fall but not without the help of our members throughout the state. The more patients that can tell their story the better chance we have at correcting the misuse of this egregious payer tactic.
The Ohio Association of Rheumatology Wants to Hear Your Step Therapy Story!
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