Governor OKs 2 Measures on Health Care

Gov. Gray Davis signed legislation Thursday that requires health insurance companies and Medi-Cal to pay for routine treatment costs incurred by cancer patients in clinical trials.

The governor also signed a bill that will expand access to the Healthy Families insurance program for the working poor and expand Medi-Cal coverage for breast and cervical cancer patients.

Davis, a Democrat, said the legislation on clinical trials will make it easier for patients to receive potentially lifesaving treatment. Previously, some health plans didn’t pay for routine care--such as doctor visits or hospitalization--if patients were enrolled in cancer clinical trials.

Davis had vetoed a weaker bill last year that would have required insurers to pay clinical trial costs associated with prostate cancer trials. He said the bill did not go far enough.

“Thousands and thousands of additional cancer patients will now have access to clinical trials,” Davis said Thursday at UCLA Medical Center. “They do not have to fill out long, extensive forms. They don’t have to wait months and months for the HMO to say yes.

“All they need is their physician attesting that access to these trials will potentially have a health benefit to the patient.”

Advocates for cancer patients and research praised the bill, saying that they hope it will lead to more enrollment in clinical trials. Only 2% to 3% of cancer patients participate in such trials, although up to 20% are eligible, said Dr. Paul Murata, immediate past president of the American Cancer Society’s California division.

The society estimates that 135,150 Californians will be diagnosed with cancer this year.

“In many areas of cancer, our progress toward discovering the answers is slowed by the fact that it’s difficult to get people enrolled in clinical trials,” said Murata, a family practice physician in Torrance. “With this legislation approved, there’s less debate . . . in terms of what should and shouldn’t be covered.”

HMO industry representatives, who supported the law, acknowledge that health plans handle clinical trials in various ways. This bill will set a high standard for all health maintenance organizations.

“In general, everyone sees this as a good way to expand care,” said Bobby Pena, spokesman for the California Assn. of Health Plans.

California is the 14th state in the nation to adopt such a law on clinical trials. In addition to California, bills have been signed this year in New Mexico, Vermont, Delaware and Connecticut, according to the Health Policy Tracking Service.

The second bill signed by Davis Thursday expands other health care programs. It will:

* Allow low-income patients to receive treatment through Medi-Cal for breast and cervical cancer for as long as necessary. An existing state program for breast cancer patients limited treatment to 18 months.

* Set aside $820 million to expand Healthy Families enrollment to include 138,000 working parents, assuming approval from the federal government.

* Invest $25 million in direct aid for trauma centers, plus $5 million for trauma system planning.

* Spend $14 million to increase salaries for nursing home workers.

* Establish a $402-million Tobacco Settlement Fund for health-related programs.