Medicines To Prevent Breast Cancer To Be Free For Some Women
HHS' decision means that drugs like Tamoxifen will be part of the health law's preventive services rule.
CQ HealthBeat: Insurers Will Need To Provide Free Anti-Breast-Cancer Pills To Some Women
As of September 2014, health insurance companies will need to fully cover the cost of certain anti-breast-cancer drugs for women considered to be at risk for the disease, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said. The CMS announcement was expected after the U.S. Preventive Task Force announced on Sept. 24, 2013, its final decision regarding certain strategies for preventing breast cancer (Young, 1/9).
Kaiser Health News: Some Breast Cancer Drugs To Be Free For High-Risk Women
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended last September that clinicians give medications such as tamoxifen or raloxifene to such women to reduce their risk of the disease. Under the Affordable Care Act, items or services rated A or B by the independent review board of physicians and academics must be covered by insurers without a co-pay or deductible. Insurers are given a year to make the change (Galewitz, 1/9).
The Hill: ObamaCare Expands To Cover Preventive Breast Cancer Drugs
"We are making significant advancements in combating this disease -- and for women who are shown to be at a higher relative risk for breast cancer, today, access to early treatments can improve their health," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wrote in a blog post. The directive expands Obamacare's preventive services mandate, which outlines medical care insurance plans must provide to patients without co-pays (Vieback, 1/9).