Sen. Ossoff Cosponsors Bipartisan Bill to Stop Insurance Companies from Delaying Needed Medical Care

Washington, D.C.— U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is cosponsoring a bipartisan bill to prevent insurance companies from delaying needed medical care.
Sen. Ossoff cosponsored the bipartisanSafe Step Act, introduced by Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), to help prevent insurance companies from delaying Georgians’ access to medical care.
Health insurers often use a practice called step therapy (also called “fail first”) thatrequirespatients to try and fail on a lower-cost medication before they are allowed to access the medication recommended and prescribed by their doctor. This practicecandelaynecessary treatment and increase patients’ health care costs.
The bipartisanSafe Step Actwould limit the use of step therapy and require insurers to create a standardized and transparent process that allows patients to access medically necessary treatments.
“Too often, insurance companies dictate the health care Georgians can receive,”Sen. Ossoff said.“That is why I am working with Republicans and Democrats to prevent insurance companies from delaying Georgians’ access to the medical care they need.”
Sen. Ossoff continues to push for increased access to health care for Georgia families.
In November, Sen. Ossoffpushed to passthe bipartisanAccelerating Kids’ Access to Care Actthat he cosponsored to ensure kids covered by Medicaid in Georgia face fewer delays when receiving specialty care.
In April, Sen. Ossoffcosponsoredthe bipartisanResident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act, which would allow recent graduates of medical school to defer their student loan payments without interest while they serve in a medical or dental internship or residency program, aiming to reduce the shortage of medical professionals in Georgia.
In February, Sens. Ossoff and Susan Collins (R-ME)introducedtheRural Veterans Transportation to Care Actto help more veterans in rural areas get transportation to VA health facilities and access the health care benefits they’ve earned.
Click hereto read theSafe Step Act.
# # #