Mental health advocates are raising concerns about a bill passed by Kansas lawmakers that would require doctors to try cheaper drugs before more expensive ones for Medicaid recipients, but the bill’s backers say the concerns are overblown.
The process, called step therapy, is common in many private and public health insurance plans. It was key to resolving budget issues because it would reduce the state’s cost of providing health care for poor residents by nearly $11 million a year. Gov. Sam Brownback is expected to sign the bill Monday.