LCO \\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2024SB-00182-R01- SB.docx 1 of 6 General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 182 February Session, 2024 AN ACT PROHIBITING CERTAIN HEALTH CARRIERS FROM REQUIRING STEP THERAPY FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS USED TO TREAT A MENTAL OR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONDITION OR A CHRONIC, DISABLING OR LIFE-THREATENING CONDITION. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: Section 1. Section 38a-510 of the 2024 supplement to the general 1 statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2 (Effective January 1, 2025): 3 (a) No insurance company, hospital service corporation, medical 4 service corporation, health care center or other entity delivering, issuing 5 for delivery, renewing, amending or continuing an individual health 6 insurance policy or contract that provides coverage for prescription 7 drugs may: 8 (1) Require any person covered under such policy or contract to 9 obtain prescription drugs from a mail order pharmacy as a condition of 10 obtaining benefits for such drugs; or 11 (2) Require, if such insurance company, hospital service corporation, 12 medical service corporation, health care center or other entity uses step 13 therapy for such drugs, the use of step therapy (A) for any prescribed 14 drug for longer than [thirty] twenty days, (B) for a prescribed drug for 15 Substitute Bill No. 182 LCO {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2024SB-00182- R01-SB.docx } 2 of 6 cancer treatment for an insured who has been diagnosed with stage IV 16 metastatic cancer provided such prescribed drug is in compliance with 17 approved federal Food and Drug Administration indications, [or] (C) 18 for the period commencing January 1, 2024, and ending January 1, 2027, 19 inclusive, for the treatment of schizophrenia, major depressive disorder 20 or bipolar disorder, as defined in the most recent edition of the 21 American Psychiatric Association's "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 22 of Mental Disorders", (D) for the period commencing January 1, 2025, 23 for a prescribed drug for the treatment of a mental or behavioral health 24 condition, provided such prescribed drug is in compliance with 25 approved federal Food and Drug Administration indications, or (E) for 26 the period commencing January 1, 2025, for a prescribed drug for the 27 treatment of a chronic, disabling or life-threatening condition or disease, 28 provided such prescribed drug is in compliance with approved federal 29 Food and Drug Administration indications. 30 (3) At the expiration of the time period specified in subparagraph (A) 31 of subdivision (2) of this subsection or for a prescribed drug described 32 in subparagraph (B), [or] (C), (D) or (E) of subdivision (2) of this 33 subsection, an insured's treating health care provider may deem such 34 step therapy drug regimen clinically ineffective for the insured, at which 35 time the insurance company, hospital service corporation, medical 36 service corporation, health care center or other entity shall authorize 37 dispensation of and coverage for the drug prescribed by the insured's 38 treating health care provider, provided such drug is a covered drug 39 under such policy or contract. If such provider does not deem such step 40 therapy drug regimen clinically ineffective or has not requested an 41 override pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section, 42 such drug regimen may be continued. For purposes of this section, "step 43 therapy" means a protocol or program that establishes the specific 44 sequence in which prescription drugs for a specified medical condition 45 are to be prescribed. 46 (b) (1) Notwithstanding the [sixty-day] twenty-day period set forth 47 in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, 48 Substitute Bill No. 182 LCO {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2024SB-00182- R01-SB.docx } 3 of 6 each insurance company, hospital service corporation, medical service 49 corporation, health care center or other entity that uses step therapy for 50 such prescription drugs shall establish and disclose to its health care 51 providers a process by which an insured's treating health care provider 52 may request at any time an override of the use of any step therapy drug 53 regimen. Any such override process shall be convenient to use by health 54 care providers and an override request shall be expeditiously granted 55 when an insured's treating health care provider demonstrates that the 56 drug regimen required under step therapy (A) has been ineffective in 57 the past for treatment of the insured's medical condition, (B) is expected 58 to be ineffective based on the known relevant physical or mental 59 characteristics of the insured and the known characteristics of the drug 60 regimen, (C) will cause or will likely cause an adverse reaction by or 61 physical harm to the insured, or (D) is not in the best interest of the 62 insured, based on medical necessity. 63 (2) Upon the granting of an override request, the insurance company, 64 hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, health care 65 center or other entity shall authorize dispensation of and coverage for 66 the drug prescribed by the insured's treating health care provider, 67 provided such drug is a covered drug under such policy or contract. 68 (c) Nothing in this section shall (1) preclude an insured or an 69 insured's treating health care provider from requesting a review under 70 sections 38a-591c to 38a-591g, inclusive, or (2) affect the provisions of 71 section 38a-492i. 72 Sec. 2. Section 38a-544 of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes 73 is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 74 January 1, 2025): 75 (a) No insurance company, hospital service corporation, medical 76 service corporation, health care center or other entity delivering, issuing 77 for delivery, renewing, amending or continuing a group health 78 insurance policy or contract that provides coverage for prescription 79 drugs may: 80 Substitute Bill No. 182 LCO {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2024SB-00182- R01-SB.docx } 4 of 6 (1) Require any person covered under such policy or contract to 81 obtain prescription drugs from a mail order pharmacy as a condition of 82 obtaining benefits for such drugs; or 83 (2) Require, if such insurance company, hospital service corporation, 84 medical service corporation, health care center or other entity uses step 85 therapy for such drugs, the use of step therapy (A) for any prescribed 86 drug for longer than [thirty] twenty days, (B) for a prescribed drug for 87 cancer treatment for an insured who has been diagnosed with stage IV 88 metastatic cancer provided such prescribed drug is in compliance with 89 approved federal Food and Drug Administration indications, [or] (C) 90 for the period commencing January 1, 2024, and ending January 1, 2027, 91 inclusive, for the treatment of schizophrenia, major depressive disorder 92 or bipolar disorder, as defined in the most recent edition of the 93 American Psychiatric Association's "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 94 of Mental Disorders", (D) for the period commencing January 1, 2025, 95 for a prescribed drug for the treatment of a mental or behavioral health 96 condition, provided such prescribed drug is in compliance with 97 approved federal Food and Drug Administration indications, or (E) for 98 the period commencing January 1, 2025, for a prescribed drug for the 99 treatment of a chronic, disabling or life-threatening condition or disease, 100 provided such prescribed drug is in compliance with approved federal 101 Food and Drug Administration indications. 102 (3) At the expiration of the time period specified in subparagraph (A) 103 of subdivision (2) of this subsection or for a prescribed drug described 104 in subparagraph (B), [or] (C), (D) or (E) of subdivision (2) of this 105 subsection, an insured's treating health care provider may deem such 106 step therapy drug regimen clinically ineffective for the insured, at which 107 time the insurance company, hospital service corporation, medical 108 service corporation, health care center or other entity shall authorize 109 dispensation of and coverage for the drug prescribed by the insured's 110 treating health care provider, provided such drug is a covered drug 111 under such policy or contract. If such provider does not deem such step 112 therapy drug regimen clinically ineffective or has not requested an 113 Substitute Bill No. 182 LCO {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2024SB-00182- R01-SB.docx } 5 of 6 override pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section, 114 such drug regimen may be continued. For purposes of this section, "step 115 therapy" means a protocol or program that establishes the specific 116 sequence in which prescription drugs for a specified medical condition 117 are to be prescribed. 118 (b) (1) Notwithstanding the [sixty-day] twenty-day period set forth 119 in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, 120 each insurance company, hospital service corporation, medical service 121 corporation, health care center or other entity that uses step therapy for 122 such prescription drugs shall establish and disclose to its health care 123 providers a process by which an insured's treating health care provider 124 may request at any time an override of the use of any step therapy drug 125 regimen. Any such override process shall be convenient to use by health 126 care providers and an override request shall be expeditiously granted 127 when an insured's treating health care provider demonstrates that the 128 drug regimen required under step therapy (A) has been ineffective in 129 the past for treatment of the insured's medical condition, (B) is expected 130 to be ineffective based on the known relevant physical or mental 131 characteristics of the insured and the known characteristics of the drug 132 regimen, (C) will cause or will likely cause an adverse reaction by or 133 physical harm to the insured, or (D) is not in the best interest of the 134 insured, based on medical necessity. 135 (2) Upon the granting of an override request, the insurance company, 136 hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, health care 137 center or other entity shall authorize dispensation of and coverage for 138 the drug prescribed by the insured's treating health care provider, 139 provided such drug is a covered drug under such policy or contract. 140 (c) Nothing in this section shall (1) preclude an insured or an 141 insured's treating health care provider from requesting a review under 142 sections 38a-591c to 38a-591g, inclusive, or (2) affect the provisions of 143 section 38a-518i. 144 Substitute Bill No. 182 LCO {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2024SB-00182- R01-SB.docx } 6 of 6 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: Section 1 January 1, 2025 38a-510 Sec. 2 January 1, 2025 38a-544 PH Joint Favorable Subst.