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 bipartisan Safe 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”) that requires patients to try and fail on a lower-cost medication before they are allowed to access the medication recommended and prescribed by their doctor. This practice can delaynecessary treatment and increase patients’ health care costs.

The bipartisan Safe Step Act would 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. Ossoff pushed to pass the bipartisan Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act that he cosponsored to ensure kids covered by Medicaid in Georgia face fewer delays when receiving specialty care.

In April, Sen. Ossoff cosponsored the bipartisan Resident 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) introduced the Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act to help more veterans in rural areas get transportation to VA health facilities and access the health care benefits they’ve earned.Click here to read the Safe Step Act.