Posted: May 10, 2017
The CSRO is very happy to announce that Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has officially signed HF 233, step therapy bill introduced in the Iowa House by Representative Joel Fry (R, 27th) on January 23, into law. After receiving overwhelming support in both chambers, step therapy bill HB 233 passed out of the House and the Senate and was enacted today. Now that the Governor signed this bill into law, Iowa joins West Virginia as the second state to enact step therapy legislation in 2017.
By enacting HF 233, Iowa will now have guard rails and exemptions in place to provide a clearer path for health care providers to provide patients with the medications needed without the unreasonable delays experienced in the past. The law will further protect Iowa patients by ensuring they have access to a clear and convenient process for requesting a step therapy protocol exception and by requiring health plans to allow such an exception under five specified circumstances.
The CSRO applauds the efforts of Representative Fry and both the Iowa Senate and House in passing HF 233, and wishes to thank Governor Branstad for signing this crucial legislation into law. We hope this is the second of many step therapy bills to be enacted across the nation this year.
