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Ask Your Representative to Cosponsor the CLINICAL TREATMENT Act
Representatives Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) are seeking cosponsors for H.R. 913, the CLINICAL TREATMENT Act, a bill to guarantee coverage of routine care costs associated with clinical trial participation for Medicaid enrollees. Today, as many as 42.2 million Medicaid patients risk missing out on lifesaving treatment due to financial burden.
Medicaid insures nearly one-fifth of the U.S. population, yet it is the only major payor that is not required by federal law to provide coverage for routine costs of participation in a clinical trial. The benefits of clinical trial participation to cancer patients are twofold: experimental treatments improve quality of life, and the data generated within trials is valuable to future cancer researchers.
Fortunately, the CLINICAL TREATMENT Act would have minimal impact on overall care costs since patients would incur these costs through routine treatment. In recent years, researchers have made significant discoveries that are improving cancer treatment and prevention. The CLINICAL TREATMENT Act will allow researchers to build on this momentum by expanding access to clinical trials.
AACI supports the CLINICAL TREATMENT Act. We encourage you to demonstrate your support by writing your representatives. For more information, please contact Jaren Love, AACI government relations manager, at 412-647-2076.