WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin joined today as the lead Democratic sponsor of House legislation to ensure Medicare coverage of routine costs for high-quality clinical trials for the most up-to-date cancer treatments.

The Medicare Cancer Clinical Trial Coverage Act would establish a time-limited demonstration project under which Medicare beneficiaries with cancer would be ensured coverage for routine patient care received in qualified clinical trials. This bill does not create a new benefit. Instead, it ensures that patients enrolled in clinical studies receive Medicare coverage for the same type of routine patient care costs -- such as hospital and physician fees -- that would normally be covered by Medicare.

Clinical trials are critical to medical advancements in cancer therapy and it is vital that Medicare beneficiaries are eligible participants. For example, clinical trials discovered that, for many women, breast-conserving surgery -- i.e. lumpectomy -- combined with radiation is as effective in treating breast cancer as a complete mastectomy. As a result, women diagnosed with breast cancer have more treatment options and the prospect of enhanced quality of life after treatment.

"It's imperative that Medicare patients be guaranteed coverage for clinical trials of new cancer treatments. Because of the rapid advances that are made in cancer treatment, these clinical trials often represent the best care available to a cancer patient," said Rep. Cardin. This measure has strong bipartisan support. Rep. Cardin has joined with Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) in sponsoring this legislation in the House. A similar bill is being introduced in the Senate by Sens. John Rockefeller (D-WV) and Connie Mack (R-FL).

The Johnson-Cardin bill would make eligibility for coverage dependent upon the approval of the trial design by one of several high quality peer review organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.