ILLINOIS (WAND) - Illinois Medicaid recipients are now eligible for life-saving clinical trials to treat cancer and other serious diseases.
Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1864, a health package that requires the state's Medicaid program to cover costs for approved clinical trials involving prevention, detection or treatment of cancer.
Initially introduced and carried through the Senate by Andy Manar, the initiative was included in a broader health care package passed by the General Assembly during the abbreviated special session in May.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say that this law will save lives. For too long, some people were granted access to the most advanced and potentially life-saving cancer treatment, and others weren’t, simply depending on which insurance plan they had. That injustice ended today,” Manar said. “I appreciate Governor Pritzker’s demonstrated commitment to advancing equity in health care.”
Manar worked closely with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) on the proposal. ACS CAN said until this bill was signed, the Illinois Medicaid program was one of the insurance programs in the U.S. that were not required to cover routine care for patients in cancer clinical trials.
Shana Crews, government relations director for ACS CAN, said this move will help reduce the cancer burden for the thousands of Illinois residents who will be diagnosed with cancer this year.
"Governor Pritzker and the legislature have taken an important step to ensure the viability of new cancer research in our state and to allow an additional 20% of Illinois residents to have access to these new, potentially lifesaving treatments and therapies,” said Crews.
More than 20% of Illinoisans are covered by Medicaid, making it the second largest type of insurance behind Medicare.
