NY is depending on support for the Medicare MCED Coverage Act. This is why | Opinion
As a cancer survivor, advocate and founding member of a community resource center for cancer patients and their families, I understand better than most the critical need for innovation in cancer screenings.
Of the more than 100 types of cancers we know of, we unfortunately have only common screenings for five: breast, cervical, prostate, high-risk lung and colorectal. While these screenings are vitally important and have caught millions of cancers since they’ve been implemented into clinical practice, so many others have gone undetected solely because we didn’t have screenings for them. Thankfully, that’s changing.
After many years of research and development, new screening tests are about to bring hope to people at risk and will be able to catch cancers that are typically not found until they have spread throughout the body and aggressive symptoms appear. These screenings — known as Multi-Cancer Early Detection tests —will give doctors the ability to catch cancer when it is at an earlier, more treatable, stage.
With a simple blood draw, these tests can detect more than 50 types of cancer and give doctors powerful tools in the war on cancer. But, to make a meaningful difference, these tests have to be accessible to those who need them most.
Doing so requires an Act of Congress. Though this is usually not an easy feat, hundreds of advocacy groups, cancer experts and lawmakers from both political parties have lined up behind theMedicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act, which would empower the Medicare program to cover MCED tests once they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
This legislation is critical because, under current law, Medicare does not have the authority to cover these cancer detection technologies, or many other types of preventative screenings for that matter, even if they are FDA-approved. As a result, Medicare coverage can take up to a decade or more, a delay that seniors and individuals living with disabilities — two of our most vulnerable populations who could benefit most from MCED — can’t afford to wait out.
We have made enormous strides in the battle against cancer, including new and highly effective oncology treatments, yet almost33,00 New Yorkers still die of it every year. This is because many cancers are detected when it is too late for treatment to be most effective. Catching cancer early leads to a better prognosis, better treatment outcomes and better quality of life for patients and their caregivers.
For example, while there are screenings available for breast and cervical cancer, there is no such screening for ovarian cancer. Most women don’t discover they have the disease until they start to show symptoms, which often isn’t until stage three or later when the survival rate is very low. Yet, when caught early — and only 20% of these cancers are — the five-year survival rate jumps to 94%.
Through my work as a cancer survivor and advocate, I’ve heard more stories than I can count of people whose lives were saved by routine cancer screenings like mammograms and pap tests. Multi-cancer blood tests — especially when used to complement existing screenings — have the power to take us to the next frontier of cancer treatment and bring us closer to a world where the vast majority of cancers can be caught early. That is why advocates like me are fighting to ensure Medicare is able to cover these tools once they are approved.
So far, a bipartisan majority of lawmakers — more than 300 in both houses of Congress — have stood up to support the Medicare MCED Coverage Act. This includes 16 members of New York’s Congressional delegation as well as Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. I strongly applaud their efforts and their commitment to ensuring that those most in need are able to access this life-saving technology.
But time is running out for Congress to pass the bill. The legislative calendar resets in the new year and any bills that don’t make it to the President’s desk will have to be reintroduced and start the process of gathering supporters all over again. This is a delay that Medicare beneficiaries at risk of developing cancer cannot afford. I strongly urge Congressional leadership to bring this bill to the floor as soon as possible. New Yorkers' lives are on the line, and time is running out.
Geri Barish is a breast cancer survivor, president of 1 in 9: The Long Island Breast Cancer Action Coalition and executive director of Hewlett House, a community resource center that services Long Island and the five boroughs.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New Yorkers depend on support for the Medicare MCED Coverage Act
