Burr: Cover routine costs for Medicaid participants enrolled in clinical trials

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) offered bipartisan legislation to promote access to life-saving therapies for Medicaid enrollees who want to join clinical trials.

“This legislation reflects the good work already underway in North Carolina, and allows Medicaid to keep pace with and participate in the next generation of advancements,” said Sen. Burr. “Our bill ensures more Americans can access scientific breakthroughs and improves the diversity of trials in the development process.”

Sen. Burr on Sept. 29 sponsored the Covering Life-saving Investigations Needed in Cancer and Other Life-threatening Conditions through Timely use of Resources for Easy and Affordable Treatment from Medicaid for Enrollees in Need Today Act, also known as the CLINICAL TREATMENT Act, S. 4742, with lead original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD). The measure would ensure Medicaid programs cover routine care costs for people participating in clinical trials for serious or life-threatening conditions.

“Clinical trials bring new hope to families battling devastating diagnoses and diseases,” Sen. Burr said. “These trials not only help advance medical research but can also give some folks the opportunity to access promising potential treatments when all other options have been exhausted.”

“Unfortunately,” he added, “Americans who receive their coverage through Medicaid are too often discouraged from participating in clinical trials because they risk being denied coverage of their standard healthcare.”

Currently, Medicaid is not federally required to cover clinical trial participants’ routine costs, including doctor’s appointments, hospital stays, lab tests, imaging, and drugs. Just 15 states, including North Carolina and Maryland, require their Medicaid programs to cover such costs, leaving more than 38 million Medicaid participants without coverage for clinical trials, according to Sen. Burr’s office.

U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) in January 2019 introduced the same-named companion bill, H.R. 913, in their chamber, which remains under consideration in the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. The bill has 50 other cosponsors and has been endorsed by 86 organizations.