Miami-Dade Legislative Item
File Number: 112289
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File Number: 112289 File Type: Resolution Status: Adopted
Version: 0 Reference: R-1016-11 Control: Board of County Commissioners
File Name: SUPPORT CANCER DRUG COVERAGE Introduced: 10/26/2011
Requester: NONE Cost: Final Action: 11/15/2011
Agenda Date: 11/15/2011 Agenda Item Number: 11A13
Notes: Title: RESOLUTION SUPPORTING H.R. 2746, THE CANCER DRUG COVERAGE PARITY ACT OF 2011; FURTHER URGING THE U.S. CONGRESS AND THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO PASS LEGISLATION REQUIRING INSURANCE COMPANIES TO PROVIDE EQUIVALENT COVERAGE OF ORAL AND INTRAVENOUS CANCER DRUGS
Indexes: LEGISLATURE
Sponsors: Rebeca Sosa, Prime Sponsor
  Sally A. Heyman, Prime Sponsor
  Lynda Bell, Co-Sponsor
Sunset Provision: No Effective Date: Expiration Date:
Registered Lobbyist: None Listed


Legislative History

Acting Body Date Agenda Item Action Sent To Due Date Returned Pass/Fail

Board of County Commissioners 11/15/2011 11A13 Adopted P

County Attorney 10/26/2011 Assigned Jess M. McCarty

Legislative Text


TITLE
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING H.R. 2746, THE CANCER DRUG COVERAGE PARITY ACT OF 2011; FURTHER URGING THE U.S. CONGRESS AND THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO PASS LEGISLATION REQUIRING INSURANCE COMPANIES TO PROVIDE EQUIVALENT COVERAGE OF ORAL AND INTRAVENOUS CANCER DRUGS

BODY
WHEREAS, in the past decade, medical research has led to an increasing number of innovative cancer drugs in the form of pills, capsules and oral liquids; and
WHEREAS, these oral cancer drugs in some cases promise better results in fighting cancer than intravenous drugs; and
WHEREAS, oral cancer drugs often offer less side effects, including reduced hair loss; and
WHEREAS, oral cancer drugs also offer far greater convenience, freeing a patient from frequent trips to a clinic to be administered intravenous cancer drugs for hours, thus reducing the burden of fighting cancer on a patient�s daily life; and
WHEREAS, both intravenous and oral cancer medications are expensive, easily reaching tens of thousands of dollars a year; and
WHEREAS, health insurance coverage has not kept pace with recent medical innovations related to oral cancer drugs; and
WHEREAS, health insurance typically covers cancer drugs that are infused intravenously at a clinic as a medical benefit, like surgery, while oral cancer drugs are usually covered as a prescription drug under a health insurance company�s prescription drug plan, which is typically much less generous; and
WHEREAS, for expensive oral cancer drugs, patients may face large co-payments, sometimes thousands of dollars, or quickly exceed annual prescription drug coverage limits; and
WHEREAS, in some cases, patients already facing a serious, sometimes terminal illness, are forced to choose between paying the large co-payments for oral cancer drugs, potentially decimating their family�s life savings in the process, or going through far more burdensome intravenous cancer treatments; and
WHEREAS, the choice is even more difficult for patients on an oral cancer drugs that have no intravenous alternatives, forcing many patients to either pay the additional cost of oral medications or go without available, yet costly oral treatments; and
WHEREAS, the disparity between insurance coverage of oral and intravenous cancer drugs is likely to affect increasing numbers of cancer patients, because one-fourth of the 400 cancer drugs in the development pipeline are oral; and
WHEREAS, in 2007, Oregon enacted the nation�s first state law requiring insurers to provide equivalent reimbursement for oral and intravenous cancer drugs; and
WHEREAS, since then, nine other states and the District of Columbia have passed cancer drug parity laws, with Texas being the most recent state to pass such a law in the spring of this year; and
WHEREAS, similar bills have been introduced in approximately 20 other states, and a bill also has been filed in Congress; and
WHEREAS, Congressman Brian Higgins (D � New York) filed H.R. 2746, the Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act of 2011, for consideration during the 112th Congress; and
WHEREAS, H.R. 2746 would require group and individual health insurance coverage and group health plans to provide for coverage of oral cancer drugs on terms no less favorable than the coverage provided for intravenously administered cancer medications; and
WHEREAS, it has been reported that members of the Florida Legislature are considering filing similar bills for consideration during the 2012 session; and
WHEREAS, this Board supports legislation at both the federal and state levels that would require insurance companies to provide equivalent coverage of oral and intravenous cancer drugs,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Supporting H.R. 2746, the Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act of 2011.
Section 2. Urges Congress and the Florida Legislature to pass legislation requiring insurance companies to provide equivalent coverage of oral and intravenous cancer drugs.
Section 3. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the members of the Florida Congressional Delegation, U.S. Representative Brian Higgins, Florida�s Governor, Florida�s Senate President, Florida�s House Speaker, and the Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade County State Legislative Delegation.
Section 4. Directs the County's federal and state lobbyists to advocate for the legislation set forth in Sections 1 and 2 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to include this item in the 2012 Federal Legislative Package and to amend the 2012 State Legislative Package to include this item.




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