WAHO is raising its advocacy voice on state and federal issues.

We are actively working to ensure that the voice of oncology in Wisconsin is heard. Explore our website for the latest updates in oncology and healthcare-related legislation in Wisconsin, discover WAHO's advocacy on the state and federal level, and more.

WAHO values your input. Help us make a difference in our state. Do you know a Wisconsin State Legislature member? Do you have an issue you want to bring attention to? Please contact us with all questions and comments.

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ASCO® Advocacy Summit
April 16-17, 2024

Kurt Oettel, MD, Past President for Wisconsin Association of Hematology and Oncology (WAHO), Named Advocacy Champion by the Association for Clinical Oncology

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Kurt Oettel, MD, Past President of WAHO meets with Rep Derrick F. Van Orden

The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) named Dr. Kurt Oettel as an Advocacy Champion during the 2024 ASCO Advocacy Summit in April. Advocacy Champions are ASCO volunteers who have made meaningful contributions to the Association’s advocacy activities throughout the year to ensure that every patient with cancer has access to high-quality, equitable cancer care no matter who they are or where they live. Advocates speak with federal lawmakers and agencies, send personalized letters to Members of Congress through ASCO’s ACT Network, engage with state lawmakers on policy priorities at the state-level, and host site visits for lawmakers in their home states and districts.

Throughout the past year, Dr. Oettel as chair of the Policy Committee for WAHO and has worked on Policy in Wisconsin that would affect cancer patients along with federal policy.

Kurt Oettel, MD is Director, Gundersen Health System Cancer Center. For more news, advocacy, and analysis on cancer policy, please visit asco.org/ascoaction.

State Advocacy

[Mini-Podcast] State Advocacy Matters
March 22, 2022

WAHO President Benjamin M. Parsons, DO, Gundersen Health Care System, La Crosse Clinic, was featured in a mini-podcast produced by the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) where he shared some of the state-level initiatives WAHO has been working on to support our physician members and the patients they treat.

"We've just recently supported legislation that was basically trying to prohibit white bagging at the state level. We also supported some legislation that was about copay accumulators, which is a big problem for our patients. We have a lot of foundation funding and other mechanisms to try to mitigate some of the copays for patients with (especially) terminal illnesses."

Listen to Podcast

Why Wisconsin Lawmakers Need to Protect the Value of Copay Assistance
October 2021

In October, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published a powerful new opinion from Wisconsin resident and patient Jim Turk on his experience living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and the need to protect Wisconsin patients from the growing insurance practice known as “copay accumulators.”

In the piece, Jim explains how copay accumulators threaten patients with MS who rely on copay assistance to access their medications. Jim urges Wisconsin legislators to take action to protect patients in the state from these programs with Senate Bill 215 and Assembly Bill 184.

Read Op-Ed

Federal Advocacy

WAHO Joins 400+ Organizations in Support of MCED Legislation

May 5, 2022

The Wisconsin Association of Hematology and Oncology (WAHO) joined more than 400 organization from all 50 states to urge Congress to pass the Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Screening Coverage Act (H.R.1946/S.1873) this year. This legislation would create a pathway for MCED tests to be covered by the Medicare program following approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Read the Letter

WAHO is raising its advocacy voice on state and federal issues.

ASCO® Advocacy Summit April 16-17, 2024

State Advocacy

Federal Advocacy

ASCO® Advocacy Summit
April 16-17, 2024