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First step is creating the exchanges
President Barack Obama promised to increase participation in cancer-related clinical trials by requiring that patient costs be covered. The first step toward doing that is creating health insurance exchanges.
These exchanges would provide a virtual marketplace for health insurance for those who do not already have coverage through their employer or through a government program such as Medicare or Medicaid. Regulations for plans on the exchanges would eventually also apply to employer-provided plans.
The health reform bills pending in Congress create the exchanges and give appointed officials broad powers to define what insurers will have to cover. The bills do not particularly mention cancer-related clinical trials, but the officials could require it as part of covered hospitalization services.
We have to wait until the exchanges are up and running before we can tell if this promise is being fulfilled. At that point, there would still be significant action needed before the promise could be fulfilled. But the legislation creating the exchanges is just enough for us to move this promise to In the Works.
Our Sources
U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee,
HR 3962 - the Affordable Health Care For America Act
U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee,
HR 3962 - Section by Section
Kaiser Family Foundation,
Analysis of Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962)
, accessed Nov. 4, 2009