The new year has brought a measure of fairness and relief for cancer patients.
A chemotherapy measure approved by lawmakers last session has become effective. The measure caps the cost insurance firms may charge for oral chemotherapy pills at $75 for a 30-day supply.
The law is designed to balance the costs of oral and intravenous chemotherapy treatments.
Past inequity occurred because oral chemotherapy was considered by insurance companies as a pharmacy benefit, which may require higher payments by patients. Intravenous medication, however, was characterized as a medical treatment eligible for lower co-pays among patients.
The oral treatment, however, was considered preferable for a number of patients because:
• Side effects of the pills often are less intense because the oral drugs target cancer cells and damage fewer health cells, according to Carli Howard Good, executive director of Susan G. Komen Greater Kansas City.
• Patients and their family members spend less time away from work because side effects from the pills last for a few days rather than weeks for the IV treatments, according to state Rep. Sheila Solon, the Blue Spring Republican who championed the law.
• Patients in rural areas are spared long commutes to hospital appointments, added Sen. Ryan Silvey, the Kansas City Republican who sponsored the Senate version of the bill.
Last session marked the third year the proposal was considered by lawmakers. A previous hurdle, fears of higher insurance premiums, finally was cleared last year when an analysis determined premiums could rise by an average of 57 cents a month for plans that cost an average of $350 monthly.
After fears of higher premiums were allayed, the proposal ultimately won overwhelming support - unanimous passage in the Senate and a 147-6 vote in the House.
We commend supporters who stuck with this fairness measure and gathered facts to overcome objections. Cancer patients do not deserve the added burden of treatment inequity that creates inconvenience, financial hardships and additional health problems.