Clinical trials are research studies to test new drugs or treatments.
Mr. Kaye speaks from personal experience. His wife has been battling a stage IIIB non small cell lung cancer and they have had to use their own resources going out of their managed care organization to be able to participate in a clinical trial. The NCCC and ACS encourages health care insurers to consider providing all of their policyholders with coverage for clinical trials. In addition, the ACS is working on Capitol Hill to ensure that Medicare patients are provided with routine coverage for cancer clinical trials. The New Jersey decision came one day after the Institute of Medicine issued a report suggesting Medicare should cover expenses for all major disease clinical trials, which the ACS believes is another sign of new hope for people with serious diseases.