Here’s what’s happening in the State of Illinois

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Have a medication that works for you but your insurer wants you to try something cheaper? A measure making its way through the Illinois General Assembly would allow you to keep using the more expensive drug.

Some insurers require a patient to use a lower cost drug and have it fail before they will pay for a more expensive one. Democratic state Sen. Julie Morrison says a measure she supports would prohibit insurers from mandating so-called step therapy in some instances.

Morrison says changing medication midstream in some instances doesn’t make sense.

“Why are we risking patient’s health if they’re already responding to a treatment that works for them?” Morrison asked.

Express Scripts, a prescription benefits manager with clients in Illinois, opposes the bill and says the measure could make it difficult to battle increasing health care costs.