Navigating State Step Therapy Laws for New York

Step therapy is an insurance company tool that requires patients to try and fail medications before agreeing to cover the health care provider's initial treatment recommendation. Largely impacting patients with inflammatory bowel disease, step therapy focuses on the use of cost-saving treatments rather than effective, patient-centric care.

In addition to creating many patient hardships, this protocol allows insurance companies to disrupt the provider-patient relationship and dictate a patient's course of treatment. Thankfully, the state of New York has implemented a step therapy law that gives health care providers additional rights and opportunities to protect their patients.

This education module provides an overview of the step therapy law and provides step-by-step directions for how providers can leverage New York's step therapy law to effectively advocate on behalf of their patients.