Health care coverage: cancer treatment.

Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies to provide coverage for all generally medically accepted cancer screening tests and requires those plans and policies to also provide coverage for the treatment of breast cancer. Existing law imposes various requirements on contracts and policies that cover prescription drug benefits. This bill would require health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies that provide coverage for cancer chemotherapy treatment to provide coverage for a prescribed, orally administered cancer medication, as specified, on a basis no less favorable than intravenously administered or injected cancer medications covered under the contracts or policies. The bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to review the percentage cost share, as defined, for oral cancer medications and intravenous or injected cancer medications and to apply the lower of the 2 as the cost-sharing provision for oral cancer medications. The bill would specify that its requirements do not apply to a health care benefit plan, contract, or health insurance policy with the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements relative to health care service plans would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.