Lastly, it’s important to know who will cover the costs related to your participation. According to the National Cancer Institute, most insurance companies should cover patient care costs for routine treatments such as doctor visits, lab tests, or X-rays. The study’s sponsor, such as a drug company, a foundation, or the government, would cover research-related costs for your participation, such as the experimental drug, any lab-related tests, or imaging tests for the clinical trial. Outside organizations might cover expenses such as parking, gas, or copayments for visits to your doctor (via Washington Post). Because of your participation in a clinical trial, you should get a standard of care that could be better than your usual care.
You might also wonder if you get paid for a clinical trial. According to the Washington Post, participation is usually voluntary in a clinical trial if you have a particular condition. Although healthy participants are sometimes paid, strict clinical trials typically aren’t. Paid clinical trials often involve considerable risk, according to Antidote. Because phase 1 trials might pose more risk, they might be paid more than other types of trials.