Oral chemo is an effective alternative to intravenous chemo and is usually associated with less side effects. These pills are expensive and the customary percentage based model for insurance coverage does not provide enough financial compensation to patients so the pills are affordable. To resolve this issue, 40 States have passed laws requiring insurance companies to cover oral chemo at the same cost as intravenous chemo. However, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not have laws in place for oral chemo parity. Representative Matt Baker sponsored an oral chemo parity bill (HB 60) that passed the House in 2014. It passed the House again in 2015 (197-3) and received 41 cosponsors from the State Senate. Despite this overwhelming support, Senator Don White made changes to the legislation as part of SB 536 that provides too much ambiguity to be effective. This unfortunate delay impacts PA cancer patients negatively and results in financial hardships, or worse, for the cancer patient. 40 States have oral chemo parity laws and 242 of 250 PA legislators cosponsored this bill. We need to pull together and ask the PA legislature to pass Matt Baker's version of oral chemo parity to help PA cancer patients. Please sign this petition to ask the PA legislature to pass an oral chemo parity bill to provide cancer patients with a better chance to beat that dreaded disease.
Updates
February 28, 2016
Refining the language of the proposed legislation remains my primary focus as I engage in ongoing discussions with legislative staff. Their feedback highlights the necessity of maintaining pressure on this committee to prioritize patient affordability over bureaucratic ambiguity.
February 28, 2016
The momentum behind this initiative continues to grow as more residents across the Commonwealth demand equitable coverage for oral chemotherapy. This collective effort highlights a clear desire to remove the financial barriers that currently impede access to life-saving treatment.
16 Comments
This bill needs to be passed ASAP. People are dying while the politicians are deciding if it's fair to those who don't have cancer because premiums may increase. What about the people who aren't sick, it's required by law to have insurance. Who decides which disease they pay for and which they will not. Please sign this petition, oral chemo is outrageously expensive, my meds are almost $9,000.00 per month, which I need them to live. Who can afford that? Even the copay is thousands of dollars.
I am a colon cancer survivor. Chemo is very hard on the body and at times injures other organs. I would like to see this pass.
Rep Baker emailed me and let me know that he has an important meeting on oral chemo parity today. He did not provide too many specifics but the fact that both parties are talking is a positive note. Thanks for your support.
Please pass this into law We are a middle class family that recently had to go on oral.chemo therapy (Cindy). My last month copay was $3,000.00. I have stage 4 breast cancer so this will be a continued journey Being middle class's there is no copay assistance for me. We are paying it but it won't be long until we can't afford it We are selling our house and making changes where we can. We need the oral parity law now. Thanks so much. Cindy
This is an important anti-cancer bill that will set a precedent for how PA will handle new treatments for cancer and other diseases.
Prayers that all elected officials hear our plea!
In order to gain more support for this bill, legislators and PA constituents need to hear how the absence of adequate insurance coverage for oral chemo pills is impacting actual people who can benefit for these pills. There are reporters in PA who want to run stories about this to make the public aware but they feel that they need personal stories to support these articles and the overall effort to correct this disparity in PA. If anyone is willing to share their story in an effort to promote support for this bill, please let us know. We understand if you do not want to share as this disease is so personal. Thank you.
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Oral chemo is an effective alternative to intravenous chemo and is usually associated with less side effects. These pills are expensive and the customary percentage based model for insurance coverage does not provide enough financial compensation to patients so the pills are affordable. To resolve this issue, 40 States have passed laws requiring insurance companies to cover oral chemo at the same cost as intravenous chemo. However, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not have laws in place for oral chemo parity. Representative Matt Baker sponsored an oral chemo parity bill (HB 60) that passed the House in 2014. It passed the House again in 2015 (197-3) and received 41 cosponsors from the State Senate. Despite this overwhelming support, Senator Don White made changes to the legislation as part of SB 536 that provides too much ambiguity to be effective. This unfortunate delay impacts PA cancer patients negatively and results in financial hardships, or worse, for the cancer patient. 40 States have oral chemo parity laws and 242 of 250 PA legislators cosponsored this bill. We need to pull together and ask the PA legislature to pass Matt Baker's version of oral chemo parity to help PA cancer patients. Please sign this petition to ask the PA legislature to pass an oral chemo parity bill to provide cancer patients with a better chance to beat that dreaded disease.
Updates
February 28, 2016
Refining the language of the proposed legislation remains my primary focus as I engage in ongoing discussions with legislative staff. Their feedback highlights the necessity of maintaining pressure on this committee to prioritize patient affordability over bureaucratic ambiguity.
February 28, 2016
The momentum behind this initiative continues to grow as more residents across the Commonwealth demand equitable coverage for oral chemotherapy. This collective effort highlights a clear desire to remove the financial barriers that currently impede access to life-saving treatment.
16 Comments
I have CML and continue to work because of the medical insurance I need to cover Tasigna. I cannot retire because, with Medicare, I will be responsible for at least $3,000/mo for my oral chemo.
This bill needs to be passed ASAP. People are dying while the politicians are deciding if it's fair to those who don't have cancer because premiums may increase. What about the people who aren't sick, it's required by law to have insurance. Who decides which disease they pay for and which they will not. Please sign this petition, oral chemo is outrageously expensive, my meds are almost $9,000.00 per month, which I need them to live. Who can afford that? Even the copay is thousands of dollars.
I am a colon cancer survivor. Chemo is very hard on the body and at times injures other organs. I would like to see this pass.
Rep Baker emailed me and let me know that he has an important meeting on oral chemo parity today. He did not provide too many specifics but the fact that both parties are talking is a positive note. Thanks for your support.
Please pass this into law We are a middle class family that recently had to go on oral.chemo therapy (Cindy). My last month copay was $3,000.00. I have stage 4 breast cancer so this will be a continued journey Being middle class's there is no copay assistance for me. We are paying it but it won't be long until we can't afford it We are selling our house and making changes where we can. We need the oral parity law now. Thanks so much. Cindy
This is an important anti-cancer bill that will set a precedent for how PA will handle new treatments for cancer and other diseases.
Prayers that all elected officials hear our plea!
In order to gain more support for this bill, legislators and PA constituents need to hear how the absence of adequate insurance coverage for oral chemo pills is impacting actual people who can benefit for these pills. There are reporters in PA who want to run stories about this to make the public aware but they feel that they need personal stories to support these articles and the overall effort to correct this disparity in PA. If anyone is willing to share their story in an effort to promote support for this bill, please let us know. We understand if you do not want to share as this disease is so personal. Thank you.
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I have CML and continue to work because of the medical insurance I need to cover Tasigna. I cannot retire because, with Medicare, I will be responsible for at least $3,000/mo for my oral chemo.