As an Advocacy Ambassador, we are calling on you to take action and encourage your Pennsylvania House Representative members to co-sponsor vital bipartisan legislation that protects patients from non-medical switching—a harmful practice that allows insurers to change coverage for medications or devices mid-policy year, even when patients and their doctors have determined a treatment plan that works.

This Legislation is being championed by Representative Tarik Khan (D–194) and Representative Ann Flood (R–138), two respected leaders with deep experience and unwavering commitment to patient care. You can read more about this co-sponsorship memo here.

What the Bill Does:

This legislation would amend Pennsylvania’s Unfair Insurance Practices Act to:

  • Prohibit insurers from changing coverage terms or increasing out-of-pocket costs for a drug, device, or treatment mid-policy year
  • Prevent insurers from burying harmful coverage-change clauses in fine print
  • Include reasonable exceptions for medications withdrawn from the market or deemed unsafe by the FDA

Why It Matters:

Patients choose plans based on their medical needs—only to have the rug pulled out from under them when a necessary drug is no longer covered, or their cost suddenly skyrockets. Non-medical switching can result in:

  • Treatment delays and worsening of chronic conditions
  • Adverse drug reactions from unnecessary changes
  • Emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and reduced quality of life

What You Can Do:

We urge our Advocacy Ambassadors to contact their state representatives and ask them to sign-on to the co-sponsorship memo! Not sure who your local representative is? Find your local legislators at: https://www.palegis.us/find-my-legislator. You can use the template below to send an email: 

Dear Representative [Name], 

As a member of the bleeding disorders community, I am writing to urge you to co- sponsor bipartisan legislation that will protect consumers from having their health insurance coverage changed during their contract. This legislation is being championed by Representative Tarik Khan (D–194) and Representative Ann Flood (R–138). A co-sponsorship memo was circulated on June 24, 2025.

Individuals affected by bleeding disorders work closely with their hematologist to determine their treatment plan and rely on specific medications to manage their conditions and prevent bleeding episodes or dangerous blood clots. Non-medical switching can force patients onto less effective or unsuitable alternatives, leading to breakthrough bleeds, joint damage, or other serious complications. Patients forced to switch medications may experience more frequent emergency room visits and hospitalizations, inevitably increasing healthcare spending for patients in the long run. Patients may also feel frustrated, confused, and helpless when forced to change their medications, especially after working diligently with their doctors to find an effective treatment plan.

This legislation addresses a dangerous and disruptive insurance practice known as non-medical switching, which occurs when insurers change a patient’s medication or device coverage mid-year for non-clinical reasons—often due to cost-driven formulary updates. This bill would amend the Unfair Insurance Practices Act to prohibit such changes during the contract year, with limited exceptions for products removed from the market or deemed unsafe by the FDA

When patients enroll in a health plan, they do so in good faith—expecting the coverage outlined at the time of purchase to remain stable for the full year. Allowing insurers to make changes after the fact violates that trust and undermines continuity of care. This legislation does not prohibit insurers from making reasonable, clinically based changes, such as removing a drug deemed unsafe by the FDA or no longer being manufactured. Instead, it ensures that patients are not penalized for relying on their provider’s recommendations and their plan’s original commitments.

I urge you to co-sponsor this important bipartisan bill and join a growing number of legislators who believe Pennsylvania patients deserve stability, fairness, and transparency in their healthcare coverage.

Thank you for your consideration and for your commitment to patient-centered policy in the Commonwealth.

[Your Name]