Newly created cancer drugs that can be taken orally would be less expensive under legislation approved unanimously Thursday by the Georgia Senate.
The chamber, however, attached a separate piece of legislation to House Bill 943 that would require health insurance policies sold in Georgia to cover behavioral therapy for children 6 and under who have been diagnosed with autism.
The bill otherwise would require insurance companies that provide coverage for intravenous cancer medications to charge no more than a $200 co-pay for medications taken orally. Most plans in the state cover no more than 70 percent or 80 percent of the cost, which can be as high as $10,000 according to the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Lee Hawkins, R-Gainesville.
The House must now agree to the Senate’s changes before final passage.
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