Massachusetts Lawmakers to Introduce Bill Mandating Private Coverage for Experimental Cancer Drug Trials

Massachusetts lawmakers are expected on July 18 to "unveil" a bill that would require insurers to cover the "incidental medical costs associated" with FDA-approved experimental drug trials for cancer patients, the Boston Globe reports. Currently, government grants and drug companies "cover the cost of experimental drugs and research-related tests" but not trial-related doctor visits and "routine tests." Advocates say that while most of these additional costs are "borne" by insurers, "some insurers have denied coverage" because the state lacks formal guidelines for experimental trials. State Sen. Mark Montigny (D), who is co-sponsoring the measure with state House Speaker Thomas Finneran (D), said that his bill has support from the state's health insurers, after representatives from the American Cancer Society and Boston's Dana Farber Cancer Institute "convinced" them that mandating coverage of cancer trials is cost effective. "It isn't more expensive. In fact, in many cases, experimental trials can be less expensive than standard care," he said (Ranalli, Boston Globe, 7/18).