During the lame-duck session of Congress, members of the Safe Step Coalition will be launching a comprehensive outreach campaign to pressure Congress to include the Safe Step Act in one of the legislative packages that will be voted on before the end of the year. This toolkit provides resources you can use to promote this…
By: Matt Werbach In 2018, when psoriasis lesions began to show on Seritta Frazee’s face, she decided it was time to take her disease seriously and to find the right treatment. Before then, she’d gotten away with covering her skin, but no one wants to live life in a ski mask. With some other diseases…
Legislation puts common sense guidelines around insurance industry practice of “step therapy” WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 13, 2023 Today, patient and health care provider groups from across the country applauded the reintroduction of legislation aimed at putting reasonable parameters around the insurance industry protocol known as “step therapy” or “fail first”. The bill (S.652) is…
California native Jennifer Pellegrin shares her story on the importance of getting the treatment you need, when you need it. By Jenn Pellegrin Editor’s note: Jennifer Pellegrin is a National Psoriasis Foundation volunteer advocate who is sharing her experience, in her own words, on how detrimental step therapy was to her treatment journey, and why state…
By Taruja Karmarkar, Patrick Stone, Jennifer Graff The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated Americans’ challenges in accessing much-needed and effective care. One such hurdle, step therapy, requires patients to try a clinically recognized, lower cost first-line therapy before reimbursement for an alternative therapy prescribed by the physician and can delay access to care. Pre-pandemic, experts expressed…
At NPF, we often get the question, “Does my voice really matter?” The answer is without a doubt, yes. Your voice absolutely makes a difference for patient advocacy! Your voice can be shared effectively in so many ways – for example, through a call, email or text to your lawmaker. Your voice can also be…
We didn’t know what to expect in 2018 because our elected officials were so focused on the midterms. But it turned out to be a rewarding year for our volunteers, who wrote to and met with their legislators in state capitols and on Capitol Hill. In Minnesota and New Mexico, we focused on reforming step therapy, which occurs…
Our volunteers made waves visiting Congress and learning firsthand how elevating the patient voice can make a real difference. NPF’s annual Capitol Hill Day is one of the most rewarding and productive events held each year by the Advocacy department, and this year’s event was no different. Advocates from our patient and researcher communities met…
At the beginning of 2017, the National Psoriasis Foundation, in partnership with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, targeted the state of Georgia for the introduction and passage of step therapy legislation. Step therapy, also known as ”fail first,” is a health insurance mandate that restricts spending on prescription drugs. This mandate requires patients to fail first, often…
We can beat step therapy with your help! Next month the Minnesota legislative session starts. Minnesotan lawmakers will be introducing legislation that will curb step therapy protocols. Under step therapy, a patient must fail first on one or more medicines chosen by their insurer before coverage is granted for the drug prescribed by that patient’s health care…