On the recordJune 15, 2011
today I join my colleague on the Senate Finance Committee, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, to introduce the Medicare Home Infusion Coverage Act, which will help us improve care and reduce costs. We are joined by Senator Isakson, Senator Klobuchar, and Senator Inouye, who also recognize the tremendous value offered by home infusion therapy. Today many serious conditions, including some cancers and drug- resistant infections--requires the use of infusion therapy. Such treatment involves the administration of medication directly into the bloodstream via a needle or catheter. Specialized equipment, supplies, and professional services, such as sterile drug compounding, care coordination, and patient education and monitoring, are part of such therapy. The course of infusion treatment often lasts for several hours per day over a 6-to-8 week period. The regrettable fact is that Medicare patients requiring infusion therapy must either bear that cost themselves, or endure hospitalization in order to receive coverage. Though Medicare pays for infusion drugs, it does not pay for the services, equipment, and supplies necessary to safely provide infusion therapy in the home. Not surprisingly, even though home infusion therapy may cost as little as $100 a day, too few seniors can afford that cost. The result is that patients are hospitalized needlessly, driving costs of treatment as much as 10-20 times higher than treatment in the home.…
