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Kentucky · Snapshot 09/05/2026

KRS 304.17A-136: Coverage for cancer clinical trials.

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    (1) As used in this section, unless the context requires otherwise:

    (a) "Cancer clinical trial" means a clinical trial that:

    1. Is approved by:

    a. The National Institutes of Health, or any institutional review

    board recognized by the National Institutes of Health;

    b. The United States Food and Drug Administration;

    c. The United States Department of Defense; or

    d. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs; and

    2. Does one (1) of the following:

    a. Tests how to administer a health care service, item, or drug for

    the treatment of cancer;

    b. Tests responses to a health care service, item, or drug for the

    treatment of cancer;

    c. Compares the effectiveness of health care services, items, or

    drugs for the treatment of cancer with that of other health care

    services, items, or drugs for the treatment of cancer; or

    d. Studies new uses of health care services, items, or drugs for

    the treatment of cancer; and

    (b) "Routine patient healthcare costs" means all healthcare services, items,

    and drugs for the treatment of cancer, except for the following:

    1. The health care service, item, or investigational drug that is the

    subject of the cancer clinical trial;

    2. Any treatment modality outside the usual and customary standard of

    care required to administer or support the healthcare service, item,

    or investigational drug that is the subject of the cancer clinical trial;

    3. Any healthcare service, item, or drug provided solely to satisfy data

    collection and analysis needs that are not used in the direct clinical

    management of the patient;

    4. An investigational drug or device that has not been approved for

    market by the United States Food and Drug Administration;

    5. Transportation, lodging, food, or other expenses for the patient or a

    family member or companion of the patient that are associated with

    travel to or from a facility providing the cancer clinical trial;

    6. Any services, items, or drugs provided by the cancer clinical trial

    sponsors free of charge for any new patient; or

    7. Any services, items, or drugs that are eligible for reimbursement by

    a person other than the insurer, including the sponsor of the clinical

    trial.

    (2) A health benefit plan shall not exclude coverage for routine patient healthcare

    costs that are incurred in the course of a cancer clinical trial if the health benefit

    plan would provide coverage for the routine patient healthcare costs had they

    not been incurred in a cancer clinical trial.

    (3) The coverage that may not be excluded under this section shall be subject to

    all terms, conditions, restrictions, exclusions, and limitations that apply to any

    other coverage under the policy, plan, or contract, including the treatment

    under the policy, plan, or contract of services performed by participating and

    nonparticipating providers.

    (4) (a) Nothing in this section requires a policy, plan, or contract to offer cancer

    clinical trial services by a participating provider.

    (b) Nothing in this section prohibits a policy, plan, or contract from offering

    cancer clinical trial services by a participating provider.

    (c) Nothing in this section requires services that are performed in a cancer

    clinical trial by a nonparticipating provider of a policy, plan, or contract to

    be reimbursed at the same rate as those performed by a participating

    provider of the policy, plan, or contract.

    (5) Nothing in this section shall be construed as imposing a new health benefit

    mandate.

    Collected 2026-09-05T20:57:46Z. Source file · JSON

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