CALL TO ACTION

For those of you in California, I was sent this CALL TO ACTION by the California chapter of then Arthritis Foundation. 

CALL TO ACTION: Urge Your Assemblymember to SUPPORT AB 889

There is a bill working its way through the California State Legislature that would reduce the number of times you are required to try and fail on cheaper and often ineffective medications.

Step therapy, or fail first, leaves many of the more than 5.3 million Californians with arthritis in debilitating pain for weeks, if not months, while they "try" other medications before being approved for the one their doctor originally prescribed.

Assembly Bill 889 by Assemblymember Jim Frazier will limit the number of "steps" you would be required to try and fail to just two.

Assembly Bill 889 needs your help!

Email your Assemblymember today and urge them to "SUPPORT AB 889"!

Instructions:

1. Find out who your Assemblymember is by entering your address HERE
2. Use template below:

Dear Assemblymember,

I’m contacting you today requesting your support of AB 889 to limit a current practice known as "step therapy" or "fail first".

Step therapy forces patients, like me, to live in unnecessary and debilitating pain while we try and fail several medications before we can have the one our doctor prescribed.

Assembly Bill 889 would limit the number of steps we must endure to just two.

Excessive "steps" can lead to the deterioration of my condition. I know instantly if a medication is working or not but I cannot have the prescription my doctor wants until I try several others. This leaves me home bound for weeks.

Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions affect more than 5.3 million adults and 38,000 children in our state. This disease costs the state $7.8 billion in medical expenditures and $4.3 billion in lost earnings.

On behalf of the millions of Californians living with arthritis, I strongly urge you to support AB 889 when it is on the Assembly Floor next week.

Thank you for your time!
Your name
[Insert your phone number]
[Insert your city and State]

3. Enter your Assemblymember's email address on the "to" line^*

4. Their email address is assemblymember.LASTNAME@assembly.ca.gov (replace "LASTNAME" with your Assemblymember's last name)

5. Add your personal story to the draft email

6. Add your name, phone number, and city and state to the signature of the email.

7. Send the email

*You will see kherr@arthritis.org on the "to" line of the email. You can either leave it there or move it to the "cc" line.
Thank you for helping support the California Arthritis Foundation Council's Co-Sponsored legislation to limit step therapy.

Until tomorrow...