An even bigger next test comes when Provenge goes before a big Medicare advisory panel that will help make a national coverage decision on the product.

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That bill, which is opposed by the Republican majority in the Senate who favor a less comprehensive measure, would allow medical patients to sue their health maintenance organization or insurance company in the event a coverage decision caused direct, documentable harm.

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Forbes spoke with Louis Jacques, the director of the Coverage and Analysis Group at the Medicare center, to learn more about the process, called a National Coverage Assessment, and the decision that will result after a period of public comment and the accrual of scientific data, called a National Coverage Determination.

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