Bill Promotes Medicare Coverage Of Clinical Trials

Extract

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) have introduced a bill to the 105th Congress that seeks to rectify a trend that could hinder cancer research. At a briefing hosted by the Leukemia Society of America, the Medicare Coverage of Cancer Clinical Trials bill was introduced and discussed by medical professionals and advocates of cancer research and cancer patients .

"Our legislation is very targeted to give older Americans their best shot at fighting cancer. With this bill, we want to tackle the frustrating, often anguishing problem faced by older Americans who are unable to participate in cancer clinical trials," said Rockefeller.

The Rockefeller-Mack bill, introduced in February, is a bipartisan effort requlflng Medicare to cover basic costs for cancer patients who participate in clinical trial studies. "More than half of all cancer cases occur in people age 65 or older," explained Seth Rudnick, M.D., an oncologist who chairs LSA's Government and Legislative Affairs Committee. "So requiring Medicare to cover clinical trials for this group is an efficient way to study a treatment's effectiveness. It's also an important step in the fight to protect patient access to cutting-edge treatments."