Chemotherapy Insurance Measure Signed Into Law
Friday, August 19, 2011
In July, Chicago
governor Pat Quinn signed a measure into law that aims to protect the rights of
cancer patients.This law would save
them from paying more money if they take oral chemotherapy drugs instead of
receiving the traditional intravenous method.Oral chemotherapy treatment is less invasive and sometimes more
effective, but often it is forgone by cancer patients because of the cost.Often, insurance companies only cover the
injectable form of chemotherapy drugs, forcing patients who want to go with
liquid, table, or capsule chemotherapy to pay for it out of pocket.This law, signed during the annual breakfast
meeting of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network breakfast meeting,
would require insurance companies to cover both types of chemotherapy treatments at the same
rates.
This would be a step in the right direction for those
dealing with the woes of fighting a critical illness and trying to get
insurance money to cover their costs.Often, critical illness insurance is hard to come by.It covers a wide variety of illnesses, from
alzheimer’s to blindness to Parkinson’s, offering the policy holder a lump sum
cash payment or a regular payout if they are diagnosed with one of the
illnesses the insurance policy covers.But what happens to those who have the condition before receiving health
insurance?Often it is more difficult to
find a policy to cover them, as companies realize the high cost it will incur
for them to insure someone with one of the conditions.Currently, the government is offering a
Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan to those who have been denied coverage by
private insurance companies.With this
plan as well as the other changes being made through Obamacare to the health
care system, soon it might be possible for people with preexisting conditions
to receive the care they need, whether through the government or through
private insurance companies.
AIA Staff
8/19/2011
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