- Center on Health Equity & Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
Michele McCourt on Directing Patients to Financial Medication Assistance
Michele McCourt, senior director of the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation, recognizes the financial hardships of cancer patients when paying for medications.
Michele McCourt, senior director of the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation, recognizes the financial hardships of cancer patients when paying for medications.
Transcript
Are you hearing from patients who read about new treatments that could cure them of their cancer, but who are facing barriers to getting access to this care?
We do. Patients will call us, and we do have a copayment assistance foundation, we do have funding for some types of cancers. We do hear from the patients when they call us and we don’t have a fund open for their type of cancer and they are very frustrated. "My doctor says this is what I need to take and I can’t get it." Or the co-pay is $4000. Sometimes they get misinformation, too. They don’t fully understand what their out of pocket is versus what the full cost of the drug is.
We do hear from patients, "This is great, I heard this medication can save my life, but I can’t get it." We will refer them to the drug company but even that, I guess, patients have to qualify for those programs. Medicare patients are not usually eligible for manufacturer sponsored programs. So, it does leave a lot of gaps in coverage for a lot of people.
NGS-Based Test Accurately Detects Post–Allo-HSCT Relapse in AML, MDS
February 21st 2025The next-generation sequencing (NGS)–based AlloHeme test accurately predicted relapse following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).
Read More
The Importance of Examining and Preventing Atrial Fibrillation
August 29th 2023At this year’s American Society for Preventive Cardiology Congress on CVD Prevention, Emelia J. Benjamin, MD, ScM, delivered the Honorary Fellow Award Lecture, “The Imperative to Focus on the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation,” as the recipient of this year’s Honorary Fellow of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology award.
Listen
Promoting Equity in Public Health: Policy, Investment, and Community Engagement Solutions
June 28th 2022On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Georges C. Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association, on the core takeaways of his keynote session at AHIP 2022 on public health policy and other solutions to promote equitable health and well-being.
Listen
“Expanding Access Isn’t Just About Fairness—It’s About Building Better Treatments for Everyone”
February 16th 2025Regina Barragan-Carrillo, MD, a postdoctoral fellow at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, discussed findings that show 76% of renal cell carcinoma trials take place in wealthy countries, amid news that clinical trial access for the world's poor may become even more challenging.
Read More
Amid Debate Over Diversity, RCC Trials Still Struggle to Reflect Patient Populations
February 16th 2025Abstracts presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium reflect the ongoing challenge with enrolling diverse patient populations in trials, despite stated goals.
Read More
