The Delaware General Assembly and Governor Jack Markell have approved and signed into law important legislation for cancer patients in that state, legislation that will help insured cancer patients get access to physician-prescribed anti-cancer drugs of their choice. The law establishes some parity in terms of insurance coverage for oral cancer drugs in oral form when available.
In accord now with the Delaware Cancer Treatment Access Act (House Bill 265), sponsored by Representative Deborah Hudson (R-12), Delaware's group and individual health insurance plans will now be required to provide coverage for oral anti-cancer drugs at a cost to the patient that is no greater than the cost of intravenous or injectable chemotherapy agents, thus providing greater opportunity for cancer patients to secure these medications taken at home.
Often, doctors prescribe chemotherapy in IV form, which allows them to make more money by charging the insurance companies a mark-up on the drugs they themselves purchase at wholesale prices. The IV form was often covered by insurance companies but the oral forms of the drugs are not. This new law in Delaware allows insured patients to access the form of their choice without having to pay so much more for the oral version if available.
Source: MarketWatch
The information provided on CancerTreatment.net is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. This information is solely for informational purposes and does not constitute the practice of medicine. We encourage all visitors to see a licensed physician or nutritionist if they have any concerns regarding health issues related to diet, personal image and any other topics discussed on this site. Neither the owners or employees of CancerTreatment.net nor the author(s) of site content take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading this site. Always speak with your primary health care provider before engaging in any form of self treatment. Please see our Legal Statement for further information.
