DOZENS OF CANCER ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS VOICE OPPOSITION TO SENATE HEALTH CARE REPEAL BIL

July 14, 2017

Republican Healthcare Repeal Bill Causing “Fear and Anxiety” Throughout the Cancer Community

(Nashville, TN) – Today, 33 cancer-related professional and patient advocacy organizations issued a stern statement in opposition to the new GOP health care bill.  Their letter comes on the heels of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) condemning the revised Senate health care bill.

“This bill is devastating for the American people, especially for anyone with a cancer diagnosis,” said Shelley Fuld Nasso, CEO of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, one of the organizations involved. “It is time to end this threat that is causing fear and anxiety throughout the cancer community, and work towards bipartisan solutions to strengthen current law.”

The group released this graphic with all signatories urging Senators to vote against the health care bill:

Along with ASC CAN, the organizations involved in this effort include:

1. American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO)

2. American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)

3. Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC)

4. Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association

5. CancerCare

6. Cancer Support Community

7. Children’s Cause for Cancer Advocacy

8. Colon Cancer Alliance

9. Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation

10. Critical Mass

11. Deadliest Cancers Coalition

12. Fight Colorectal Cancer

13. FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered

14. Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation

15. LIVESTRONG

16. Living Beyond Breast Cancer

17. Lung Cancer Alliance

18. LUNGevity

19. Lymphoma Research Foundation

20. Melanoma Research Alliance

21. National Brain Tumor Society

22. National Breast Cancer Coalition

23. National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship

24. National Comprehensive Cancer Network

25. National Patient Advocate Foundation

26. Oncology Nursing Society

27. Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance

28. Sarcoma Foundation of America

29. Stupid Cancer

30. Susan G. Komen

31. Triage Cancer

32. Us TOO International

33. Young Survival Coalition

Yesterday, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network came out in opposition to the bill with their main concerns being Medicaid cuts and the removal of consumer protections for those with pre-existing conditions like cancer, which would leave patients “paying more for less health care.”

ACS CAN President Chris Hansen warns, “Allowing insurance companies to sell bare-bones, tax credit eligible, catastrophic plans would create a segmented insurance market and essentially return cancer patients, survivors and anyone with a serious illness to an underfunded high-risk pool where patients’ out-of-pocket costs could be unaffordable and coverage potentially inadequate.”

The full ACS CAN statement can be found here.

  • For interviews with ACS CAN, please contact Allison Miller or Alissa Crispino, (202) 585-3241 or (202) 661-5772

  • For interviews with the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, please contact Dan Weber (301) 650-9127.

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Posted in Press Release