On July 10, ASCO led a coalition in a day of action in support of the Covering Life-Saving Investigations Needed in Cancer and Other Life-Threatening Conditions Through Timely Use of Resources for Easy and Affordable Treatment from Medicaid for Enrollees in Need Today Act (CLINICAL TREATMENT Act, H.R. 913), a bill that would guarantee coverage of the routine care costs of clinical trial participation for Medicaid enrollees with a life-threatening condition.
Clinical trials often provide patients with life-threatening conditions the best treatment option for their condition. Unlike Medicare and other major payers, however, Medicaid is not federally required to cover routine care costs (like physician visits and laboratory studies) for clinical trials. As many as 42.2 million Medicaid patients are potentially without this needed coverage.
Covering routine costs of clinical trials for patients with Medicaid coverage could help to reduce health disparities and ensure access to high-quality, high-value care. This legislation would have a minimal effect on overall care costs since, in most cases, these costs consist of coverage for care that patients would be receiving anyway.
Participants in the day of action were encouraged to reach out to lawmakers via social media and ASCO’s ACT Network to ask members of Congress to cosponsor the legislation.
ASCO members can still lend their voice. Learn more about how you can support ASCO’s advocacy efforts on this issue. ■
© 2019. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
