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Medicare gives room for cancer drug coverage

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Medicare gives room for cancer drug coverage

Medicare has officially announced to increase coverage for cancer drugs, many of which are not authorized by the FDA. This has let to different controversies. This article reports the entire thing and the different pro and cons of Medicare's new policy.

Many of the cancer patients can now get some added benefits as Medicare has increased its coverage for some cancer drugs and medications. It has also increased its coverage for a few medical treatments, although their authorization from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is pending.

However, Medicare has already thought about formulating this decision much earlier in 2008 but it took some time to declare it officially. This connotes that the doctors, specialists and the cancer patients waiting for Medicare compensation for few unique treatments, were at last relieved from haggling with Medicare's account's section for getting the payment. However the need was felt to augment Medicare expenditure, as cancer drugs and the related treatment requires huge monthly spending from one's pocket.

In June 5, 2008 when Medicare was questioned for adding coverage to non FDA approved cancer treatments, it inferred that there are lots of instances in the history of medical science when patients were treated and revived from critical conditions, using non FDA approved medications. So as per Medicare, there is no such hard and fast provision, that only medications approved by the FDA will be only successful. Finally on 28 January, 2009 Medicare decided to execute its previously formulated decision.

But Medicare's actions were subjected to an issue of disagreements. As per officials, Medicare interfered with the delicate matter of off-label medication prescribing - an issue conflicting both governmental and medical science's principles. Although FDA has the right to authorize medicines and treatment for precise applications, but they are not permitted to command the physicians and doctors and get in the way on their technique of medical practice. Doctors will have full liberty to use the drugs and medicines at they own way, to treat a patient.

However, such experimentation can pose a serious question of survival and demise for cancer patients. Also, it is of huge profit for drug makers, even if they are prohibited from marketing their drugs and therapies for off-label usages.

Cancer specialists including the associates of the American Society of Clinical Oncology soundly upheld Medicare's resolutions. As per them, off-label medication prescribing is in use in Medical science since years and so Medicare's attempts in this regard is justified. Medicare coverage for such medications will help patients in accessing more care at affordable rates.

On the other hand, the customer activists have summoned Medicare to review its propositions before launching its policy officially to the people. Even the Consumer's Union has expressed their confusion on the efficiency of Medicare's decision to increase coverage for non FDA approved medications. As per them although there are instances of patients getting treated and relived by non FDA approved medications but that doesn't mean that it will prove to be successful each and every time.

This recent policy declaration of Medicare effectively permits its billing dealers to consult a wider array of medicinal references, in order to settle the real need of sanctioning compensation for cancer drugs and medications for different cases.

It has to be mentioned that the medicinal reference directory includes medications and drugs that are not authorized by the FDA. The reference directories are written relying on the analysis of scientific editorials on drugs and treatment. But as per different researches that were conducted in this regard, it has been found that these editorials are written to promote the usage of drugs and medications of different pharmacies - those who in fact sponsor their publication.

However, Medicare has announced that the new policy was not formulated to increase the profit share of the drug makers and pharmacies, but it was done as a usual upgradation of its set of policies. Even it was pointed out that the reference directories on which Medicare depended on earlier, were outdated and issued no longer at present. Medicare also remarked that they are not mandated to compensate for a medication as it is included in the reference directories. The doctors are still required to explain that a medication/drug they are prescribing is both affordable and essential for the patient.