Insurance companies treat different forms of chemotherapy differently

As a co-sponsor of S. 741, Sen. Chris Murphy is on the forefront of making sure all Americans have access to the cancer treatments their doctors prescribe without having to worry about insurance coverage. Similar legislation was also just filed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The difference between the coverage of these different cancer treatments lies in the way they are classified by insurance policies. The traditional IV treatment has long been categorized as part of a patient’s medical benefit —much like a doctor’s visit or hospital stay. There may be a small co-pay, but it’s minimal. Oral chemotherapy, however, falls under the prescription drug plan, which has a different set of rules when it comes to how much patients have to shoulder out of their own pockets.

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