Senator Portantino’s Cancer Care Equity Act Passes Senate Floor
For Immediate Release: May 24, 2022
Contact: Lerna Shirinian, (818) 409-0400
Senator Portantino’s Cancer Care Equity Act Passes Senate Floor
Sacramento, CA – Senate Bill 987, authored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – La Cañada Flintridge) which addresses significant disparities in cancer patient access by expanding Medi-Cal patient eligibility for necessary clinical expertise and resources, passed the Senate Floor today. With advances in cancer science and more effective treatments, it is critical that we ensure all cancer patients have access to new science and technology that can improve health outcomes for patients and their families. SB 987 provides a more equitable model of health care for cancer patients.
“Sadly, there are serious inequalities in access to state of the art care for cancer patients. The impact of these care disparities is greater for patients who are Medi-Cal beneficiaries, especially those who come from underserved communities,” stated Senator Portantino. “The California Cancer Care Equity Act will be a major milestone in improving access to care and reducing disparities in cancer outcomes. We’ve seen incredible innovation in cancer treatments over the past decade, and it is vital that we take a close look at how we deliver innovations in care to equitably reach patients. With the Senate passage, we are moving forward with expanding access to leading-edge treatments for Medi-Cal patients, and I am hopeful that the Assembly will now help us to continue this important work.”
The CDC lists cancer as the second-leading cause of death in California. Health insurance doesn’t guarantee access to experts specializing in complex cancer types, promising clinical trials, and advances in personalized, precision cancer treatments. More than 187,000 Californians are diagnosed with cancer every year, and thousands of them will be misdiagnosed or placed on inappropriate or ineffective treatment.
SB 987, the California Cancer Care Equity Act, which also passed the Senate Health Committee, aims to improve cancer care access, cancer care outcomes (i.e., survival), and patient experience by enhancing Medi-Cal patient access to necessary clinical expertise and resources at NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. The bill parallels the current Medi-Cal coverage model that allows Medi-Cal beneficiaries to have access to certain life-saving care services at a Center of Excellence, even if that center is not included in the member’s provider network. Specifically, SB 987 expands the existing set of care diagnoses for which such enhanced access is provided and includes clinically necessary cancer care services such as genomic/genetic/transcriptomic/proteomic testing, clinical trials participation, and all necessary cancer-related outpatient and inpatient clinical care, defined episode of care.
SB 987 would also require Medi-Cal managed care providers to inform enrollees of their eligibility to receive enhanced care and ensures primary care doctors in contract with those managed care providers inform enrollees with any information they need to decide between relevant treatment options. The bill also requires that decisions to approve, deny, or modify a patient’s request for optimal care are made within a 72-hour time window to shorten the window between diagnosis and treatment.
“This year, more than 189,000 Californians will hear the terrifying words ‘you have cancer,’” said Dr. Harlan Levine, President of Strategy and Business Ventures at City of Hope. “While innovation has dramatically impacted survival, many patients, particularly those from underserved communities, are unable to access the most highly specialized treatments, clinical trials, and care from the subspecialists most likely to help save their lives. This is particularly true for Medi-Cal beneficiaries, and this bill makes a bold statement that we will not leave them behind.”
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