Leading Oncology Professionals Meet with Capitol Hill Lawmakers to Advocate for Improved Access to Cancer Care

ACCC members meet virtually with federal lawmakers;
support policies to increase access and reduce barriers for their patients

WASHINGTON, DC—Multidisciplinary cancer care leaders, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, program administrators, social workers, financial advocates, and patient navigators, from all across the country are meeting with congressional offices today to advocate for policies that support their patients as part of the Association of Community Cancer Centers’ (ACCC) 2022 Virtual Hill Day.

“Hill Day is an opportunity for us as cancer care providers to make our voices heard and help our lawmakers understand how decisions made in Washington impact the way that we deliver care back home. We are excited to share our stories and discuss some of the most pressing issues impacting the way we care for our patients,” said Olalekan Ajayi, PharmD, MBA, Chair of the ACCC Governmental Affairs Committee. “Allowing patients access to essential care without delays caused by burdensome prior authorization and step therapy requirements, increasing the availability of telehealth on a permanent basis, increasing diversity in clinical trial participation, and allowing Medicare to cover multi-cancer early detection screening tests are all policy measures that would significantly improve access to cancer treatment for all patients who need it.”

Oncology professionals will be discussing their own and their patients’ experiences overcoming existing barriers to high quality cancer care. Specifically, the group is requesting support for the following pieces of legislation:

• The Telehealth Modernization Act (H.R. 1332/S. 368) would permanently expand access to Medicare telehealth services beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency by removing geographic and originating site restrictions that require a patient to live in a federally designated rural area or be physically in a doctor’s office or clinic to use telehealth services.
• The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2021 (H.R. 3173/S. 3018) would establish new requirements to standardize and streamline prior authorization processes within the Medicare Advantage program. These requirements can act as a barrier to patients' access to necessary services and treatments, potentially leading to delays in care and harm to patients with cancer, who often require immediate treatment to prevent further spread of their cancer.
• The DIVERSE Trials Act (H.R. 5030/S. 2706) would improve access for all patients to participate in clinical trials by removing financial barriers that are known to keep certain racial and ethnic groups, older adults, rural residents, and those with limited incomes from appropriate and equitable representation in clinical research. The bill would create a statutory safe harbor allowing clinical trial sponsors to reimburse patients for non-medical costs associated with their participation in clinical trials.
• The Safe Step Act (H.R. 2163/S. 464) would require ERISA-governed health plans to implement a clear and transparent process for a beneficiary, or the prescribing healthcare provider, to request an exception to a medication step-therapy protocol.  Often referred to as “fail first”, insurers use step therapy protocols to require beneficiaries to try lower-cost medications before covering more expensive treatments, despite the provider’s recommendation. Such practices are not appropriate for patients with cancer.
• The Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Screening Coverage Act (H.R. 1946/S. 1873) would establish a pathway for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to cover MCED tests following approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The bill would allow CMS to establish coverage criteria for these blood-based screening assays through its standard, evidence-based coverage process. 

“We’re pleased to have an opportunity to meet with lawmakers to ensure our patients’ needs are heard as Congress considers policies that will impact every single American who receives a cancer diagnosis,” Ajayi added.

More information on these discussions and the legislation is available on the ACCC website here.