STUDY OF MEDICARE COVERAGE OF PATIENT CARE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH CLINICAL TRIALS OF NEW CANCER THERAPIES.

SEC. 142. STUDY OF MEDICARE COVERAGE OF PATIENT CARE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH CLINICAL TRIALS OF NEW CANCER THERAPIES. (a) Study.— The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall conduct a study of the effects of expressly covering under the medicare program the patient care costs for beneficiaries enrolled in clinical trials of new cancer therapies, where the protocol for the trial has been approved by the National Cancer Institute or meets similar scientific and ethical standards, including approval by an institutional review board. The study shall include— (1) an estimate of the cost of such coverage, taking into account the extent to which medicare currently pays for such patient care costs in practice; (2) an assessment of the extent to which such clinical trials represent the best available treatment for the patients involved and of the effects of participation in the trials on the health of such patients; (3) an assessment of whether progress in developing new anticancer therapies would be assisted by medicare coverage of such patient care costs; and (4) an evaluation of whether there should be special criteria for the admission of medicare beneficiaries (on account of their age or physical condition) to clinical trials for which medicare would pay the patient care costs. (b) Report.— Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit a report on the study conducted under subsection (a) to the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate. Such report shall include recommendations as to the coverage under the medicare program of patient care costs of beneficiaries enrolled in clinical trials of new cancer therapies.