Missourians battling cancer deserve access to as many treatment options as possible to help them fight for their recovery. Unfortunately, many patients are unable to afford the oral chemotherapy medications prescribed by their doctors because of the cost disparity between intravenous (IV) and oral cancer treatments.
To rectify the unequal coverage of cancer medications in Missouri, the House passed Senate Bill 668, sponsored by Senator Ryan Silvey (R–Clay County). SB 668 would require insurance companies to charge equal co-pays for the IV and pill forms of a chemotherapy medication. Representative Sheila Solon’s (R–Blue Springs) House Bill 1327, which is identical to SB 668, recently passed out of the House General Laws Committee.
Doctors prescribe oral chemotherapies for certain patients because they often have fewer side effects, including hair loss and nausea, and require fewer trips to the hospital so patients can spend more time at work or with their families.
Oral drugs are considered a pharmaceutical benefit, not a medical benefit like IV chemotherapy, so patients can be responsible for thousands of dollars each month in out-of-pocket costs, even though oral medications are generally 35 to 55% less expensive than their IV counterparts. These high costs have prevented 10% of cancer patients from filling their initial oral medication prescriptions. Patients should not have to turn down a potentially life-saving medication because of outdated insurance regulations.
This legislation will also modernize Missouri’s insurance rules and prepare our state for the future of cancer research. More than 25% of the 400 chemotherapy drugs in development are oral therapies.
A recent actuarial study found that oral parity will not have any significant impact on the cost of insurance premiums, but it will give Missourians fighting for their lives access to another treatment option.
On a personal note, my sister, Pat, was treated for endometrial cancer over a three-and-a-half year period. This bill might have alleviated some of her suffering had an oral chemotherapy been available at that time. She developed an infection from her “port.” She had skin peeling off her feet due to the IV chemotherapy drug protocol. Anything to help reduce the suffering during chemotherapy treatments can add to the quality of life of a person undergoing treatment.
Twenty-eight states and Washington DC have passed oral chemotherapy parity legislation since 2007. SB 668 will now be sent to Governor Nixon’s desk for his signature. With broad bipartisan support for this bill, I hope Missouri will become the next state to make life-saving medications more accessible and affordable for cancer patients.
In an effort to minimize office expenses, I use the free version of WordPress.com to blog. Unfortunately, this means my office has no control over the content or placement of ads on this site. Thank you for understanding.
Representative Sue Allen 