Deputy Assistant to the President for the Cancer Moonshot Dr. Danielle Carnival on New Proposed CMS Rules to Expand Access to High-Cost Drugs and Cancer Treatment at Tribal Facilities

Today, Dr. Danielle Carnival, Deputy Assistant to the President for the Cancer Moonshot and Deputy Director for Health Outcomes of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, issued the following statement in support of new proposals from the Department of Health and Human Service’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The proposed rules would, for the first time ever, enable Indian Health Services (IHS) and Tribal facilities to receive separate payment for high-cost drugs for people with Medicare, allowing clinics to provide certain health care services, like cancer treatment, in Tribal communities:

“The President and First Lady have been clear that cancer patients deserve access to quality care, regardless of their zip code. Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking significant steps to reduce barriers for IHS and Tribal facilities so they can expand the breadth of health care services they provide to their communities. The proposed CMS rule for Medicare to pay separately for high-cost drugs and biologics will provide critical reimbursements to IHS and Tribal facilities providing specialty care today, and will establish a pathway for Tribal facilities seeking to bring specialty care—including oncology—to their communities in the future. Today’s proposal is just one of the many ways the Biden Cancer Moonshot is delivering on the President and First Lady’s goal to equitably improve the experience and outcomes of those touched by cancer.”

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