H.R. 5509 · 119th Congress

Requires employer health plans to offer exceptions to step therapy drug rules

Official title: Safe Step Act1

Never got a floor vote

§1What it does

Why this matters: A plain-English description of the bill as it was voted on, written by us from the official summary and text.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

The bill would require employer-sponsored health plans that use step therapy, which makes patients try one or more preferred drugs before the plan will cover the drug their provider prescribed, to offer a clear and prompt process for requesting an exception.2,3,4 Plans would have to grant an exception in certain cases, such as when the required drugs have not worked, are likely to cause harm, or would keep the patient from working or doing daily activities, or when the patient is already stable on a prescribed drug that a health plan has covered before.4 Plans would generally have to respond within 72 hours, or within 24 hours in urgent cases.4

§2Status

StatusLatest action, September 19, 2025: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.1
IntroducedSeptember 19, 2025
SponsorRep. Allen, Rick W. [R-GA-12]
Cosponsors169 cosponsors (113 Democratic, 56 Republican)
Official recordH.R. 5509 on Congress.gov

§3It never got a vote

Why this matters: This bill had wide support from both parties, but it never reached the House or Senate floor, so no member of Congress was ever recorded voting for or against it.

Latest action, September 19, 2025: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.1 How bills die without a vote.

2026 candidates who sponsored or cosponsored it (149)