BlueCross BlueShield, Provision remain split on proton therapy
By Carly Harrington, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tenn. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The meetings were held in the spirit of cooperation after Provision unsuccessfully pushed for legislation that would require insurance carriers in
Children who opt for proton therapy treatment are generally covered by private insurers.
"We have to be convinced of the safety, efficacy, appropriateness and cost. When you try to balance all of those against the existing treatments available, we did not find proton beam therapy provided any better results and certainly has a greater cost per treatment," said
The
"Overall, the meetings have definitely not progressed to a point where we really advanced their coverage in any way or form," he said. "We're going to continue to fight for the patient's right to have access to this treatment. Some patients are fortunate that they can afford to pay for it themselves, but there are many who are really relying on their insurance company. They are in many ways discriminated against. We feel it's our job to continue to fight for that."
Declining reimbursement was among the reasons given for the recent announced closure of Indiana University Health Proton Therapy center in
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