Legislation from state Rep. Daire Rendon, of Lake City, providing Michigan residents with better access to lifesaving care was advanced this week in a vote by the Michigan House.

Rendon’s plan, House Bill 4354, ensures patients have access to oral chemotherapy – a cancer-fighting drug in tablet, capsule or liquid form – and are not required to pay a higher co-payment or deductible than they would have paid for other anti-cancer treatments. Forty-three other states have approved similar measures.

“This advancement in lifesaving medication is more convenient for eligible patients as it allows them to take it at home and not have to go into the doctor’s office as often. That’s especially important as we continue efforts to limit exposure to COVID-19,” said Rendon, who is a cancer survivor herself. “It should carry the same cost as traditional chemo. This is a common-sense adjustment that aligns our state with many others and provides quality, cutting-edge health care for people who need it most.”

Rendon said the goals of the bipartisan health care plan currently moving through the Legislature are improving the quality of health care in Michigan while making it more accessible and affordable for residents.

Other reforms in the overall plan include capping out-of-pocket costs for insulin, placing a check on unregulated prescription middlemen who manipulate drug prices and pad their pockets with money instead of passing along savings to consumers, and holding drug companies accountable to the patients who are driving their record profits by requiring manufacturers to submit details on how their drugs are priced.

The plans will now move to the Senate for consideration. A full list of proposed reforms is available here.