Pryor celebrates house passage of bill to obtain quicker access to lifesaving prescriptions for advanced cancer patients

Today, Jan. 28, the House passed House Bill 1114. The bill, authored by State Rep. Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis), prohibits state employee health plans, the health care marketplace and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) from requiring step therapy or "fail first." "Fail first" requires patients to try a drug preferred by their insurance company and fail to respond before they receive coverage for the prescription originally recommended by their doctor.

“Patients with metastatic cancer, or stage 4 cancer, cannot have delayed treatment,” Pryor said. “The ‘fail first’ method is simply not the best care. The best course of treatment is often very specific to the patient. Most step therapy protocols rely on generalized information regarding patients and their treatments as opposed to considering the unique patient situation. It frequently ignores clinical guidelines and individual patient needs.

“This bill allows providers to determine the best course of treatment, and patients to have immediate access to that treatment – not suffer through a time-consuming trial-and-error process. Hoosiers with metastatic cancer should not worry about getting the best drugs for their treatment while fighting for their life. 

“I am so proud to see this bill to expand access to care for Hoosiers with advanced cancer move to the Senate. This bill will help us bring down the unacceptably high rate of cancer deaths in our state. I’d like to thank my co-authors as well as Susan G. Komen and the Indiana Oncology Society for their support. I look forward to continuing my advocacy for Hoosiers access to the best quality health care.”