Cancer patients should be battling disease, not their insurance. This bill will help

As a cancer advocate, I work every day with patients who are thankful for the advances in medical research that have created these new options for treatment. But they are angered by insurance coverage that would require them to pay significantly more for a treatment simply because it is swallowed rather than injected or delivered intravenously. Many have to choose the less expensive treatment option regardless of whether it is the most effective or appropriate treatment for their cancer. I am glad my family was not faced with a choice like this.

I applaud Matsui for her leadership on this important legislation. Representatives Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Paul Cook, John Garamendi, Nanette Diaz Barragan, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Jackie Speier, Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff have all signed on to support the legislation, and I encourage the other members of the California delegation to join with their colleagues to advance this common-sense bill that will ensure rate parity across cancer treatment therapies.

Cancer treatments are advancing, but many insurance plans are not. Let’s take a needed step forward by bringing insurance plans up to date through the Cancer Drug Parity Act.

Samantha Guild is the director of education, public policy and advocacy at The AIM at Melanoma Foundation.

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