Are cancer clinical trials covered by insurance?
California law requires most health plans to cover “routine patient care costs” involved in a cancer clinical trial. It’s called SB-37 and it took effect on Jan. 1, 2002. SB-37 covers cancer patients who participate in Phase I, II, III or IV cancer treatment trials approved by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Defense or Department of Veterans Affairs. This includes most cancer clinical trials. The law gives cancer patients the freedom to think about taking part in a cancer clinical trial without having to worry about how they will pay for it.
