On CNBC this Tuesday, I called on HHS Secretary Sebelius to promise that CMS would continue to pay for Avastin as a treatment for breast cancer.
(The complete CNBC interview can be viewed here.)
And, late yesterday, Medicare confirmed it would do just that. According the CMS spokesman Don McLeod, “The label change will not affect our coverage.”
At least for now. As Andrew Pollack reports in today’s New York Times, “Mr. McLeod’s statement could allay those concerns, at least for women covered by Medicare. He said that Medicare commonly paid for off-label use of cancer drugs.”
McLeod said that while there were no plans for one right now, he could not totally rule out that Medicare might one day undertake a national coverage determination to decide whether to pay for Avastin. That process would take at least a year and involve public input.
In other words, the administration understands that, had CMS withdrawn reimbursement for Avastin’s use in breast cancer, it would have become a front-and-center election issue. Proof positive that ObamaCare equals denial of care.
A unique situation (at least as of late) where the right public health decision is also the savvy political move.
And hopefully it won’t be the last.
(Can you say “Adieu IPAB?")
