Connecticut 2024 2024 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00182 Comm Sub / Bill

Filed 03/13/2024

                     
 
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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statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2 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 
 
 
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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 
 
 
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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 
 
 
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(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 
 
 
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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 
 
 
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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.