Tennessee lawmakers are sponsoring Senate Bill 1985/House Bill 1087, legislation that, if passed, would make the out-of-pocket costs for residents of that state undergoing chemotherapy treatment be the same, whether they are receiving the drugs in IV form or in oral form.
Currently when patients receive IV chemotherapy treatments, their insurers charge an out-of-pocket co-pay of between $20-$60.
Oral chemotherapy, in which patients bring prescriptions to the pharmacy, are treated differently; in those cases, insurers classify them as specialty drugs and carry with them a co-payment of about 28%, amounting to out-of-pocket expenses as high as $3,000 per month. About one in ten such prescriptions go unfilled.
The legislation would require insurance companies in the state treat cancer patients the same financially, whether they receive their chemo in an office visit or through a prescription.
Similar legislation has already been enacted in 15 other states.
Source: The Tennessean
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