LANSING, Mich., March 15, 2024 — State Rep. Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park), vice chair of the House Insurance and Financial Services Committee, will hold a press conference on Tuesday, March 19, at 9:30 a.m. The event will include patients, providers and the Michigan State Medical Society to talk about the need for step therapy reform, as addressed by McFall’s House Bill 5339. Step therapy, also called “fail first,” is a practice in which insurance companies require patients to try and fail with cheaper, less effective medications or therapies before allowing them to access their physicians’ originally prescribed treatments.
WHO: State Rep. Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park) and stakeholders, including patients, providers and members from the Michigan State Medical Society
WHAT: Michigan for Patient Access Press Conference
WHERE: House Democratic Press Room
House Office Building, 13th Floor
124 N. Capitol Ave. in Lansing
WHEN: Tuesday, March 19, at 9:30 a.m.
“Medical decisions should be made by patients and their doctors, not insurance companies. Step therapy inserts insurance professionals into the process, leading to costly — and sometimes even dangerous — consequences for patients. Michiganders shouldn’t have to try remedies that extend the amount of time it takes to find the right treatment, which can allow health problems to persist or worsen and cause quality of life to decline. It’s time to do better by patients,” McFall said.
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