When I stopped working due to my multiple myeloma, my biggest concern was how I was going to maintain my health insurance.

Through a deal I negotiated with my partners, I was able to stay on our group health plan for a while.  When my former group merged with a larger group, this option was no longer available.  Since the group plan was being dissolved, COBRA insurance was also not available.

After much anxiety and research, I discovered that since coverage was continuous and COBRA insurance was not available, I was eligible …

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have announced that Medicare will now cover the use of positron emission tomography, or PET scans, for myeloma patients.

PET is an imaging technique that can be used to scan the whole body for abnormal cellular function. According to the CMS decision summary, PET imaging improves both physician decision-making and the health outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries who have myeloma.

In myeloma patients, PET scans can detect lesions that might not have been seen using standard testing, or it can …

The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) reports that the growth of off-label prescribing has slowed since 2005.

The term "off-label" refers to pharmaceuticals prescribed for purposes other than for which the drug is formally approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Doctors most commonly prescribe drugs off-label when the scientific and clinical evidence supports its use, there are few or no approved treatments for the condition, or other therapies were not effective. Off-label use of drugs is fairly common and accounts for up to one-fifth of all drugs prescribed.

Once an …

Medicare recently increased the number of drug compendia that it relies on when deciding whether to cover the off-label use of a drug. This policy change will likely result in expanded coverage of off-label uses of cancer drugs. While a previous Myeloma Beacon article reported on the expanded coverage, this article takes a closer look at the compendia and at what this policy change might mean for multiple myeloma patients.

Off-label prescribing is when a drug is prescribed for purposes other than for which the drug is formally approved by the …

A recent policy change has broadened Medicare’s coverage of off-label cancer drugs. The new policy took effect in November 2008.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves drugs for the treatment of specific conditions or diseases based on the results of clinical trials. But many physicians prescribe these drugs to patients for conditions other than those for which they have been formally approved, which is known as off-label use. Government spending on off-label prescriptions is an issue that has long been debated.

To determine which off-label uses of cancer drugs to cover, …

A report published February 5 in the New England Journal of Medicine explores the impact of regulations on the rising cost of cancer drugs, including those for the treatment of multiple myeloma such as thalidomide (Thalomid), Revlimid (lenalidomide), and Velcade (bortezomib).

The report’s author, Dr. Peter B. Bach, notes how only 15 years ago there was just one common cancer drug on the market costing over $2,500 a month. Now, he says, it is quite common to see drugs enter the market costing many times that amount.

Overall, spending …

According to a study by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and Avalere Health, Medicare beneficiaries will be paying more out of their own pockets for cancer therapies in the upcoming year. They will also have more restrictions on access to cancer drugs than they have had in the past. The ACS and Avalere analysis was based on data for about 4,500 Medicare prescription drug plans.

In 2009, most Medicare prescription drug plans will place cancer drugs, including thalidomide (Thalomid), a common drug used in the treatment of …