Rhode Island Lawmakers: It's Time for Timely Care!

Right now in Rhode Island, step therapy or “fail first” tools are a major barrier to obtaining the right medications for patients.

• Step therapy is a tool insurers use largely to save money. The process that requires patients to try and fail on one or more medications chosen by their insurer before they can access the optimal treatment recommended and prescribed by their healthcare provider. Yet access to the most effective medical treatments, prescriptions and therapies is critical to reducing suffering and death from cancer and other chronic illnesses.
• Step therapy protocols can pose significant risk to the treatment of disease and can delay more effective treatment.
• This could result in unnecessary discomfort to patients, setbacks and disease progression, and increased health care costs with unplanned emergency room or provider visits.