As CAR-T treatments advance, Washington grapples with ideas for how to pay for them

JUNE 5, 2018

WASHINGTON — They are among the most promising new cancer therapies available, but they come with sky-high prices to match. And now the Trump administration is grappling with just how the federal government, through Medicare and Medicaid, will pay for them.

The government’s payment policies for CAR-T treatments — which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars — are just beginning to take shape, but will likely have trickle-down effects on insurance coverage decisions throughout the country. They will also likely affect how enthusiastically doctors and hospitals start offering the therapies to patients.