I-Team: House Approves Bill To Give Doctors More Control Over Drugs They Prescribe

BOSTON (CBS) - Patients can claim a small victory in their battle to get the best medications to treat their diseases. The Massachusetts House gave preliminary approval to a bill that would give doctors more control over the drugs they prescribe for their patients. Current law allows insurance companies to force patients to try cheaper drugs before they will approve a more expensive treatment. It's called Step Therapy.

It is a term Eitan Kling-Levine knows all too well. For the past year and a half he has been battling a severe case of colitis. His doctors prescribed a fairly new medicine. It was expensive, but the doctors believed it was his best chance to improve. That's when Eitan learned about Step Therapy. He was forced to try two other drugs. They failed and so did his health. Eventually he had to have his entire colon removed. "I will never have the same life," he said.

While it seems extreme, this is a common practice. Dr. Matthew Hamilton of Brigham and Women's Hospital sees it all the time. "We are trying to put the patient in the best position to do well and when the patient is not on the right medical therapy, we are delaying things," he explained.

According to Representative Jennifer Benson, those delays can lead to serious health issues for the patient. That's why she sponsored a bill that will give doctors more leverage to get their patients the medications they believe will be most effective. "A glaucoma patient failing on a medication means you potentially lose your sight," she said.

Representative Benson understands insurers are trying to cut health care costs, but she believes it can't come at the expense of a patient's health. "My feeling is doctors are the experts. We should be giving them the tools they need to effectively treat patients," she said.

Eitan hopes his story will inspire other lawmakers to support the bill. "All I can do is push it and hope that someone else doesn't go through the same thing that I did," he said.

Lawmakers are still under the gun on this one. They have until the end of July to send it to Governor Baker or the whole process starts over. That would mean a delay of at least two years.