Topeka ? A bill designed to cut Kansas’ costs in providing prescription drugs for poor and disabled residents has received first-round approval in the state Senate.

Senators advanced the bill Tuesday on a voice vote. The proposal would allow the state’s Medicaid program to use so-called step therapies for prescriptions that require patients to try less expensive drugs before obtaining more expensive ones.

The Senate expects to take a final vote Wednesday to determine whether the measure passes and goes to the House.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback included the measure in his plan for eliminating a projected deficit of nearly $200 million in the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. His administration believes the state would save nearly $11 million annually.

Critics worry that patients won’t get needed medications.