Although science has provided immeasurable hope for cancer patients whose illnesses would have once been incurable, recent actions – or rather inaction – by Medicare signals a clear misunderstanding of the importance of adequate payment policies on the lives of cancer patients nationwide.
Last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) once again did not address the need to reform hospital payment policy for patients who require stem cell or cord blood transplants in the hospital setting. By failing to address chronic underfunding in its FY2018 hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule, access to life-saving transplants may become out of reach for some seniors who must rely upon Medicare for coverage.