Step therapy is a health insurance practice which forces patients to try and fail on medications other than what their health care provider prescribes – in some cases even when patients have already tried the insurer-preferred medications or when those medications could cause their health to deteriorate. Also known as “fail first,” step therapy often applies to patients living with life-threatening or debilitating conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, arthritis and more.

It's time for North Carolina to join 20 other states in empowering health care providers and creating a clear and transparent process to exempt  patients from step therapy when it is medically necessary.