Fail First bill AB369 passes state Senate, advances to governor in California

Sept. 11, 2012

SACRAMENTO — AB 369 was passed. It now sits before Governor Brown. He has until Sept. 30th to sign the bill or veto it. The bill reads:

This bill would impose specified requirements on health care service plans or health insurers that restrict medications for the treatment of pain pursuant to step therapy or fail first protocol. The bill would authorize the duration of any step therapy or fail first protocol to be determined by the prescribing physician and would prohibit a health care service plan or health insurer from requiring that a patient try and fail on more than two pain medications before allowing the patient access to other pain medication prescribed by the physician, as specified.

As we have reported, Gov. Brown has indicated he will be vetoing most healthcare-related bills — advocates are really needed to bombard his office. We need your help in CA, we need more stories out to the media ASAP, and we need you to make the governor know how important this is to pain patients.

Contact Gov. Brown by phone or online (if emailing via his website, be sure to select legislative bill AB369 in the subject drop down menu)

Read a personal plea to contact Gov. Brown from chronic pain blogger nippaininthebud