Cancer Drug Parity Act (Oral vs IV Chemotherapy Cost-Sharing)
Current understanding
Federal proposal to require health plans that cover both intravenously administered and orally administered anticancer medications to apply comparable cost-sharing (copays, deductibles, coinsurance) across the two routes of administration. Because oral cancer drugs are typically processed as pharmacy benefits and IV drugs as medical benefits, patients on oral therapies can face substantially higher out-of-pocket costs; parity legislation seeks to eliminate that differential. Currently at the introduction stage as HR4101 in the 119th Congress.
Evidence log
- 2025-06-24 — Cancer Drug Parity Act of 2025: cross-connection with cancer-survivorship-care: Oral/IV chemotherapy cost-sharing parity affects out-of-pocket burden for active cancer treatment, which flows into survivorship-phase affordability and adherence. (novelty: 2)