1-29-14 oral chemotherapy bill

Some Wisconsin cancer patients are being forced to choose between oral chemotherapy that

could be the most effective treatment and traditional chemotherapy covered by their

 insurance.   So some lawmakers and advocacy groups want to require health plans that cover

treatments to do so equally for intravenous and oral therapies. The Wisconsin Coalition for Cancer Treatment Access is working with Republican state Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt of Fond du Lac, on a bill. That would ensure patients have access to oral chemotherapy products if traditional chemotherapies are covered by insurance.  "Its not a mandate, it doesn't force insurance companies to provide this,"  Thiesfeldt told AM 1170 WFDL's Between the Lines program.  "What it does instead is says if you are an insurance company and are providing chemotherapy treatments, that if you'e going to provide oral and intravenous that you have to charge the same amount."   It's already received bipartisan backing from 57  legislators. The Senate Insurance

Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to support the bill.  The bill is expected to come up for a vote in the Senate and Assembly.