Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law a compromise healthcare bill that calls for reimbursing cancer patients for the out-of-pocket expenses associated with clinical trial participation and creating across the board reimbursement programs in the state.
The anticipated result is that thousands of cancer patients in Massachusetts will gain access to advanced treatments offered in clinical trials. The goal is to improve participation and retention in cancer clinical trials, especially among underserved populations.
The legislative action is the result of an effort by Lazarex Cancer Foundation and members of the state legislature, including Representative Hannah Kane, the author and lead on the cancer trial language, Leader Ronald Mariano, former Senator Richard Ross, and others, to bring attention to the issue. Co-authored by Lazarex, the legislation clarifies that reimbursing patients for the out-of-pocket expenses necessary to travel to a clinical trial site are not to be considered inducements or coercion.
Similar legislation is being considered in Florida, and New Mexico, and is already law in California, Pennsylvania, Texas, Illinois and Wisconsin.
