Health insurance; require health benefit plans to follow new procedure related to step therapy protocol for CRF-COPD treatment.

SB 2010, a proposed Mississippi bill, requires health insurance plans to establish a clear, transparent process for patients or doctors to request exceptions to step therapy protocols for CRF-COPD (chronic respiratory failure due to COPD). It mandates that insurers respond to standard exception requests within 72 hours and urgent life-threatening cases within one business day, covering treatments when criteria like treatment ineffectiveness, harm, or risk of irreversible consequences are met. The bill also requires insurers to publish this process online and limit documentation requests to only necessary medical information. The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and never became law.