June 2017 Federal Update

Affordable Care Act Replacement – Support development and enactment of legislation which continues the protections for cancer patients and survivors that guarantee access to adequate and affordable health insurance coverage, and cancer prevention screening and services.

In early May, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA) that is aimed at repealing and replacing parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The legislation would preserve two of the most popular features of the ACA, allowing young adults to remain on their parents’ health plans until age 26 and prohibiting insurers from denying coverage or charging more to people with preexisting medical conditions. While the government would no longer penalize people for going without health insurance, it would attempt to encourage Americans to maintain coverage by permitting insurers to impose a 30 percent surcharge on those who have a gap in coverage.

While preserving some patient protections, overall the bill would have the net effect of shifting health insurance costs to low-income and older patients, impacting affordability. The bill also curtails Medicaid expansion, over time substantially reducing overall Medicaid funding which impacts the most vulnerable cancer patients. ACS CAN is also concerned about how the overall approach will impact the quality and adequacy of health insurance coverage which is an issue of critical importance for the prevention and treatment of cancer.

An amendment was added to the bill that would provide $8 Billion in federal dollars to subsidize state run high-risk pools.  History has shown us that high-risk pools have failed to meet the basic needs of cancer patients, and were a drain on state budgets.  High risk pools generally have a significantly higher premium for patients (usually 150 to 200% higher), with little financial help for low-income individuals to buy into these pools.  If someone did have the funds to purchase insurance in the pool, they also had to contend with an imposed waiting period of 6-12 months before the high-risk pool would cover their health care costs.  High risk pools have also had caps placed on coverage, and often have a high deductible as well.  Neither the AHCA nor the new amendment would fully protect cancer patients from any of these conditions.

Because of the negative impact that this bill would have on cancer patients, ACS CAN did not support its passage.  We will now shift our focus to members of the Senate who will now have to work out a version of the bill.  Our ask will be the same…please work to ensure that any changes to the ACA provide cancer patients better access to affordable, adequate health care coverage.

We will continue to send out alerts asking for you to act on this important issue in the months to come.  We’re fortunate in Massachusetts that our entire federal delegation is supportive of maintaining access to quality, affordable health care coverage.

We are currently building a nationwide story bank of patients who have been positively impacted by the passage of the ACA.  Whether they can now get insurance with a pre-existing condition, don’t have to worry about a life time cap on insurance, or any other way the ACA has impacted their lives, we’d love to hear from them.  You can put them in contact with Melissa at [email protected] or 508-270-4683.

Appropriations for Cancer Research – Support substantial funding increases for research at the NIH and NCI, and work to ensure that appropriations for NIH and cancer research exceeds the funding provided in 21st Century Cures Act.

As many of you probably know, in mid-March the president’s proposed FY17 budget was released and it included significant cuts to medical research funding. The proposed reduction in NIH funding of $5.8 billion would represent a significant setback for millions of American cancer patients, survivors and their families. 

I’m happy to report that thanks to volunteers and advocates reaching out to their lawmakers, the president signed a FY17 budget that contains a $2 billion increase in medical research funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including $475 million more for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The $475 million for NCI also provides $175 million above the commitment for the National Cancer Moonshot initiative. It also maintains funding for cancer control programs at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), including the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program - and protects tobacco control measures at the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH).

On May 23, 2017, the president introduced the proposed Fiscal Year 2018 budget, which included a proposed  $7.1 billion cut for the NIH and a $1.2 billion cut for cancer research funded at the NCI. From now through the fall, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will work to draft and pass their respective budget bills. It will be key during this time that ACS CAN volunteers continue to talk with Members of Congress about the importance of increasing funding for cancer research.

Patient and Survivor Quality of Life – Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA). Support House and Senate passage of PCHETA, legislation to facilitate access to palliative care and coordinated care management for cancer patients and survivors.

ACS CAN worked with legislative and coalition partners to re-introduce this legislation in both the Senate and the House in late March, 2017.  Currently, 7 Senators and 113 House Members have co-signed the legislation this year.  ACS CAN volunteers are working hard on getting our entire MA federal delegation signed on as co-sponsors.  Currently, only Representative Moulton has co-signed this legislation. 

Cancer Prevention and Early Detection – 80 Percent by 2018 – Support the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act (RBCCSA). Support House and Senate passage of RBCCSA to remove Medicare patient cost-sharing requirements for colonoscopy with polyp removal. Support regulatory changes to provide coverage for the colorectal cancer screening continuum, including follow-up colonoscopy.

ACS CAN worked with legislative and coalition partners to re-introduce this legislation in both the Senate and the House in late February, 2017.  Currently, 26 Senators and 137 House Members have co-signed the legislation this year.

ACS CAN volunteers are working hard on getting our MA federal delegation signed on as co-sponsors.  In 2016, all members of the MA House delegation were signed on as co-sponsors.  Currently, Senator Warren, Senator Markey, Representative Kennedy, Representative Neal, and Representative Moulton have co-signed this legislation.

ACS CAN Leads Global Campaign to End Cervical Cancer Fatalities - Amidst the whirlwind of activities and policy announcements from the White House, there is uncertainty about how the Trump Administration will engage in global development and global health.  Despite the uncertainty, ACS CAN is embarking on a new campaign to end cervical cancer deaths worldwide.  Questions and uncertainty are common with any presidential transition, however global aid (which makes up less than 1 percent of the federal budget) and global health have historically enjoyed bipartisan support.  Continued U.S. leadership in global health is critical to the campaign’s success. ACS CAN is optimistic and will proceed with resilience and flexibility, making the case that conquering cervical cancer is a win-win for the U.S. and the developing world.