Senate Bill 421 (Limón): Oral Chemotherapy Fairness Act

Summary:

SB 421 (Limón) will remove the sunset date on existing law that prohibits a health plan or insurer from charging more than $250 per month on oral chemotherapy prescriptions.

Need for bill:

• In California, there are 178,000 new cancer cases that are reported within a year.

• The emergence of safe, clinically-effective, orally-administered anticancer medications has dramatically improved the quality of life for cancer patients. 

• Patients have been routinely charged significantly greater out-of-pocket costs for oral anticancer therapies than traditional IV therapies. 

• Since 2013, state law has placed a $250 per month cap on the out-of-pocket costs for oral anticancer medication. This law is set to sunset on January 1, 2024. 

• Since this cap was instituted in state law, 43 states and Washington, DC, have passed oral oncology fairness laws. 

• Passage of these laws has made therapies more accessible and equitable to marginalized communities that face greater disparities

What will SB 421 do?

Senate Bill 421 removes the sunset date, making the cap on out-of-pocket costs to $250 permanent and maintaining affordability for cancer patients.

View the SB 421 factsheet here.