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Cancer Advocates Urge Lawmakers to Support Improving Cancer Patients’ Access to Housing & Lifesaving Medication
ACS CAN Maryland Cancer Action Day: Volunteers travel to Annapolis to connect with lawmakers on Baltimore Hope Lodge investment & Senate Bill 595/House Bill 879
February 12, 2024
ANNAPOLIS, MD – FEBRUARY 12, 2024 – Earlier tonight, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) volunteers rallied at the Maryland State House as a part of their annual Cancer Action Day, urging lawmakers to support two proposals—the first, is a call to lawmakers to support an investment in the Baltimore Hope Lodge, which would enable the facility to provide more cancer patients and their caregivers with housing during their care; whereas, the second (Senate Bill 595/House Bill 879) aims to create more predictability for patients facing high out-of-pocket expenses for lifesaving medication.
The current capacity of the Baltimore Hope Lodge, which was erected in 1987 to give patients a free place to stay and transportation resources to access their appointments in the city, provides for approximately 13,000 free nights of lodging to 400 guests annually. This reflects an estimated savings of nearly $2.3 million for these patients and families and generates around $12 million for local health systems annually. Marylanders save approximately $1.1 million annually on lodging costs alone, as approximately 50 percent of guests each year are Maryland residents.
During their visit to the State House, patient advocates asked lawmakers to pledge $1.6 million in funding for a new Baltimore Hope Lodge facility. A new facility would increase capacity by more than 30%, enabling the Baltimore Hope Lodge community to provide nearly 3,000 more nights of free lodging to approximately 120 additional cancer patients and caregivers each year.
Among the advocates at this year’s Cancer Action Day was Kathy Heirs, a recent resident of the Baltimore Hope Lodge. Of her time spent there, Heirs said, “Without the Hope Lodge, the two-hour commute each way--from home my on the Eastern Shore to Baltimore—would have been impossible. The treatment I received in Baltimore was crucial to my survivorship. I couldn’t be more grateful for the access that the Baltimore Hope Lodge granted me to the top-tier care that the city’s health institutions have to offer. The Hope Lodge is a force for good in Marylanders’ lives. I hope lawmakers act to expand its capacity for good in our state.”
Also present to meet with lawmakers was Kathleen Clough, who currently resides at the Baltimore Hope Lodge. She is a caregiver to her husband, a Vietnam War veteran with leukemia.
“The Hope Lodge has become a keystone in our support system as we navigate my husband’s treatment journey. When we came to Hope Lodge, we were only supposed to stay for about 4 weeks, and it’s turned into nearly 12 months. Thanks to the Hope Lodge staff and community, my husband has been able to maintain a continuity of care all this time,” said Clough. “Every patient who qualifies and can benefit from the Hope Lodge should have access, and the proposed investment brings us closer to providing more patients with an invaluable resource.”
Patient advocates also connected with lawmakers on Senate Bill 595/House Bill 879, which seeks to eliminate barriers to treatment by clarifying that all payments made by the patient or on behalf of the patient count toward the patient’s deductible and out-of-pocket costs.
Liza Fues discussed the proposal with her lawmakers on Monday, sharing how different her recovery from two breast cancer diagnoses would have been if she had to navigate high expenses. “Thankfully, my health insurance did not strap me with unexpected bills. I got to focus on my treatment and recovery without fear of incurring debt or forgoing care,” said Fues. “Patients already must deal with managing their disease. That’s stressful enough. They shouldn’t have to worry how they’re going to pay for their treatment. The only thing they should be focused on is managing their condition. Senate Bill 595/House Bill 879 would help them to do so.”
Current practices in Maryland make it so that a patient using copay assistance to fill a prescription for a lifesaving medication may incur hefty unexpected medical bills—a result of insurers not applying copayments to a patient’s deductible. Senate Bill 595/House Bill 879 will ensure that every copay counts. Nineteen other states have enacted similar protections for patients.
“Marylanders undergoing treatment for a chronic illness should not have to deal with surprise medical bills. Patients who receive a diagnosis for a serious illness, such as cancer, already deal with too many unpleasant surprises,” said Lance Kilpatrick, ACS CAN’s Maryland Government Relations Director. “Senate Bill 595/House Bill 879 represents a bipartisan opportunity for lawmakers to ensure that patients have access to affordable and predictable out-of-pocket costs for lifesaving care.”
To learn more about how ACS CAN advocates for cancer patients and survivors at the local, state and federal levels or to learn more about how to get involved in our advocacy efforts, visit fightcancer.org/maryland.
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About ACS CAN
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) advocates for evidence-based public policies to reduce the cancer burden for everyone. As the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN is making cancer a top priority for public officials and candidates at the federal, state, and local levels. By engaging advocates across the country to make their voices heard, ACS CAN influences legislative and regulatory solutions that will end cancer as we know it.
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