NABTC Urges Senate Approval of Brown-Hutchison Clinical Trials Amendment

December 16, 2009

The North American Brain Tumor Coalition is urging Senators to approve the Brown-Hutchison amendment to require insurance coverage of clinical trials. The bipartisan amendment, sponsored by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and offered as an amendment to the health reform bill, would require insurance and health plans to pay for the routine patient care costs that are incurred by patients who enroll in clinical trials. The amendment would ensure that patients enjoy insurance coverage for care in trials that is comparable to the coverage they would enjoy outside a trial.

The Senate is attempting to finish its work on health reform before Christmas Day, so efforts to advance the clinical trials amendment must be undertaken immediately.

In his floor statement on December 16, 2009, Senator Brown explained that the amendment is important to protect the rights of individual patients to care in clinical trials. He stressed that the amendment is a research amendment as well, as it ensures that patients can enroll in clinical trials quickly and that trials can be completed in order to answer important questions about the safety and efficacy of new treatments.

The timing of a possible vote on the amendment is not yet clear, although all action on health reform is anticipated to be completed by December 24.

Senator Brown’s press release announcing the amendment, with a list of supporting organizations including the NABTC, is available at http://brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press_releases/release/?id=7AD27243-EB52-487F-A098-63DD8215A1C0.

Posted in Advocacy Positions, Brain Tumor Research, Health Care Reform