Friday, March 7, 2014

Update of fair access to cancer treatment bill

Thursday, March 6, 2014 the Arizona State House of Representatives approved of the Fair Access to Cancer Treatment (FACT) HB2078 bill 57 to 0 after a third reading. Today (Friday) it is scheduled to be read in the Senate. Before the bill becomes law, it must be signed by Governor Jan Brewer.

As Diane Mackinnon, FDA patient representative and fellow ibrutinib trial patient, pointed out to me, many of the CLL/SLL patients are over 65 and on Medicare, so they have a need for federal support of a fair access to cancer treatment. The Cancer Treatment Parity Act of 2013 (S.1879), which was introduced 12/19/2013 by Senator Al Franken of Minnesota, has been read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Hopefully the group of Leukemia & Lymphoma Society representatives from Arizona can give testimony to Congress the first week in May.


This federal bill will require the same cost-sharing applicable to all prescribed orally- or intraveneously-administered or injected anticancer medications. In other words, there will be the same cost to cancer treatment drugs regardless of how they are administered. It also requires the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to evaluate how closing the Medicare Part D donut hole affects Medicare coverage for anticancer drugs taken orally with a focus on cost and accessibility.