'Step therapy' insurance strategy led to Wisconsin woman being denied MS relapse drug for months

An insurance company repeatedly denied a Wisconsin woman coverage for a medication her doctor prescribed to treat her multiple sclerosis, demanding she try a cheaper drug first.

Serena Hostvet has trouble keeping her hand steady when drawing something simple like a pumpkin, and it infuriates her.

“At this point, I would just give up,” said Hostvet, 43, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. “Art is an essential part of me. Not being able to do it as often or as well as I used to is depressing.”

It’s also how she makes a living. Hostvet designs jewelry and creates original illustrations for small businesses. “Everything I do is with my hands,” she said.

Hostvet has multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and the nerves that extend from her spinal cord into her body. In addition to shaky hands, Hostvet’s vision is compromised. She struggles at times to come up with words in everyday conversations.

Her specific type of the condition is the most common form, called relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, or RRMS. People with this kind of MS experience periodic flare-ups of symptoms — numbness and trouble walking and seeing, for example — that can last for weeks.