CONGRESS FOR VOTERS

Rick Allen (R-GA)

Safe Step Act

H.R. 5509 · House bill Health

A Republican bill with 113 Democratic cosponsors · See all 169 cosponsors

Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

In committee

Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.

The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.

Its path through Congress

  1. Introduced
  2. In Committee

What this bill would do

The Safe Step Act seeks to amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. This bill requires group health plans or health insurance issuers that use medication step therapy protocols to provide a specific exceptions process. It mandates a clear, prompt, and transparent way for participants, beneficiaries, or their prescribers to request an exception to these protocols. The bill outlines specific circumstances that would qualify for an exception, such as ineffective previous treatments or risks of severe consequences. Additionally, it establishes strict timelines for how quickly insurance plans must respond to these requests.

Yes· 3 of 27

  • Scored +7

    Does this make health care easier to get in general?

    Reduces barriers to necessary medications by streamlining the exception process for step therapy.

  • Scored +6

    Would people with disabilities be better off under this?

    Directly addresses barriers to medications for people whose conditions make standard step therapy harmful or ineffective.

  • Scored +5

    Would people over 65 be better off under this?

    High likelihood of benefit for seniors who often manage multiple comorbidities requiring specific non-preferred drugs.

The opposite

  • Scored -2

    Does this protect people from being watched or searched?

    Requires the disclosure of private medical records to insurance companies to qualify for medication exceptions.

  • Scored -2

    Does this give people more control over their personal data?

    May require patients to disclose sensitive medical history and records to insurance plans to obtain exceptions.

  • Scored -1

    Would business owners be better off under this?

    May increase administrative costs for employers managing group health plans.