Health Reform Must Address Step Therapy, Opinion Says
Federal health reform should address the practice of step therapy -- under which patients must try and fail several cheaper medications before their health plans will cover treatment -- Wesley Mizutani, chair of the California Arthritis Foundation Council, writes in an opinion piece for HealthyCal. He argues that the practice can "severely impact a patient's health and well-being, and unnecessarily prolong their treatment," as well as drive up direct costs to the health system.
- "Legislature Could Help Millions With Debilitating Health Conditions" (Mizutani, HealthyCal, 6/20).