Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee responsible for funding programs at the NIH and CDC passed a budget proposal that flat lines cancer research and defunds important programs that would improve access to care for families affected by cancer. Needless to say, this is a huge disappointment for cancer patients across the country. The importance of the role of the federal government in helping patients afford their medical care and promoting advances in early detection and treatment of chronic diseases cannot be understated. The U.S. government is the largest single funder of cancer research in the country, and that investment has played a role in every major advance in the fight against cancer over the past four decades. With one in two men and one in three women expected to be diagnosed with cancer in his or her lifetime, this investment is crucial. The plan outlined yesterday resurrects barriers to care by defunding grants to help set up marketplaces where people can shop and compare options for quality coverage and stripping funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which is refocusing the nation on staying well rather than waiting to treat people until they are sick. Ultimately, this proposal could increase the number of cancer patients and survivors who postpone or skip lifesaving treatment because they don't have health coverage. Next, this proposal will head to the full House Committee on Appropriations for markup. On behalf of the 13.7 million cancer patients and survivors across the country, ACS CAN is urging lawmakers to oppose this proposal. *Image retrieved from: http://bit.ly/LAB1yh
Mariah Forster Olson, an ACS CAN Ambassador Constituent Team Lead (ACT Lead), traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to share her story as a childhood cancer survivor and to advocate on behalf of other patients and survivors during the 2019 Childhood Cancer Action Days.