California: Oral Chemotherapy Bill SB 961 passes legislature

I am hoping for other states to follow suit.

As quoted by the National Patient Advocacy Foundation:

Oral Chemotherapy Bill SB 961 passes legislature, on its way to Governor’s

California Senate Bill 961, which requires health insurers to provide parity in coverage for orally administered and intravenous (IV) or injected cancer medications and limits enrollee out of pocket costs for prescribed, orally administered, non-generic cancer medication, successfully passed the California Assembly Thursday, August 26th and is on its way to the Governor for his signature.
Specifically, this bill requires a carrier contract or policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2011, that provides coverage for cancer chemotherapy treatment, to provide coverage for prescribed, orally administered, non-generic cancer medication. It also requires the carrier to review the percentage cost share for oral non-generic cancer medication and intravenous (IV) or injected non-generic cancer medications and apply the lower of the two as the cost-sharing provision for oral non-generic cancer medications. It prohibits a carrier from providing an increase in enrollee cost sharing for non-generic cancer medications to any greater extent than the contract or policy provides for an increase in enrollee cost sharing for other non-generic covered medications.
The National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF), as a voice for the thousands of Californians served by our sister organization the Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF), has worked tirelessly to support this bill as it passed the Senate, then the Assembly. This bill will provide parity in coverage for patients taking oral chemotherapy drugs, potentially life-sustaining medications accessible to patients through their physicians and clinical points of care.