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Lawmakers hear testimony to prohibit step‑therapy and prior authorization for some serious mental illnesses
Summary
House Bill 382 would bar step‑therapy and prior‑authorization protocols for drugs treating specified serious mental illnesses, a sponsor and mental‑health advocates told the committee, arguing the policies delay effective treatment and can worsen outcomes.
Delegate Steve Johnson opened the hearing on House Bill 382, which would ban step‑therapy and prior‑authorization requirements for medications used to treat certain serious mental illnesses: schizophrenia spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, major depression, post‑traumatic stress disorder and medication‑induced movement disorder associated with treatment of serious mental illness.
Sponsor testimony and a large coalition of advocates—NAMI Maryland, Mental Health Association of Maryland, community behavioral health organizations and consumer advocates—argued that step‑therapy and prior‑authorization delays can cause clinical…
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