Fighting cancer will be cheaper in Arizona
Jul 1, 2014, 7:29 PM | Updated: 7:29 pm
PHOENIX — Arizona cancer patients who take chemotherapy pills will pay less for treatment by 2016.
Gov. Jan Brewer signed HB 2078, the Fair Access to Cancer Treatment Act, into law Tuesday, effectively lowering out-of-pocket costs for patients taking anticancer pills.
The governor said the new law will allow patients to have more treatment options without as much financial stress.
“This bill will allow doctors and patients more professional and personal latitude in deciding what is best for each patient without bankrupting their families,” she explained.
Health insurance companies often charge cancer patients more for taking chemotherapy pills rather than getting IVs and injections, according to Brewer.
She said she hopes the law will help save lives.
“Cancer is a terrible, terrible disease and certainly one that probably everybody has encountered by a family member or friend, so this is making a huge difference,” she said.