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Hassan signs chemo cost reduction

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In July Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) signed a bill that states insurers cannot require higher payments for oral anti-cancer pills than for intravenous chemotherapy.

Oral chemotherapy pills typically fall under a patient’s pharmacy benefit, and they can cost much more than the co-pay for an outpatient chemotherapy appointment.

Bill supporters argue that cancer patients should be able to choose between chemotherapy pills or intravenous chemotherapy based on the merits of the different drugs, not based on costs.

Bill opponents – including many insurance companies – argue that the real issue is pharmaceutical companies’ ability to charge exorbitant prices for new chemotherapy pills. Insurance companies will still have to pay those higher prices, so the bill may cause insurance policy prices to go up for everyone.

The bill signed by Gov. Hassan, HB 508, also dissolves the New Hampshire medical malpractice joint underwriting association.

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