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Committee advances bill removing step‑therapy requirements for cancer patients
Summary
House Bill 19,56 would eliminate step‑therapy rules for all cancer diagnoses, allowing physicians to prescribe the drug they deem best without requiring prior step treatments; sponsor said the change could save lives and excludes TennCare/10‑Care to avoid a fiscal note.
The Insurance Committee voted to advance House Bill 19,56, which removes step‑therapy requirements for all cancer diagnoses so a physician may treat a patient with the drug they deem most appropriate without mandated prior therapies. The sponsor said last year’s law covered metastatic, stage‑4 cancer and this bill expands that discretion to all cancer diagnoses.
Members — including physicians on the committee — expressed support and asked whether the change could create incentives that shift prescribing; sponsors and members said oncologists are dedicated to patient outcomes and that the bill preserves physician discretion to use step therapy when clinically appropriate. The measure was advanced without opposition.
