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Washington 1999/04/13 -"It's a huge leap forward," said John R. Seffrin, PhD, American Cancer Society CEO, of the just announced Medicare Cancer Clinical Trials Coverage Act, or MCCTCA. The proposed law has been introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate by Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT), Rep. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Sen. Connie Mack (R-FL), Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Medicare patients are at a higher risk for cancer, and the MCCTCA is meant to improve care for them by covering routine patient care costs if recipients enroll in a cancer clinical trial as a form of treatment.
"We are very pleased this legislation has been introduced, and we hope to see it come full circle. Older Americans -- those 65 and older -- comprise 61 percent of those who will develop cancer in 1999," said Seffrin. "Yet, older Americans make up only 1.5 percent of those who partake of the innovative therapies that clinical trials treatments may offer. That's a very disturbing statistic. It is vitally important to continue to advance our knowledge of cancer treatments, and the only way to do that is through clinical trials.
"If we can't get data on how certain therapies work among the largest group of Americans affected by cancer -- often those with additional medical problems which may conflict with cancer treatment -- then we're being prevented from finding a real cure for everyone. It's that simple."
Medicare pays for routine medical costs during conventional cancer treatment. Yet, if a patient is advised that his or her best chance for survival or improved quality of life is an approved clinical trial, the patient must pay out of pocket for things such as physician and hospital fees and routine diagnostic tests. "It makes absolutely no sense that routine medical costs -- costs, no matter what, would still be incurred -- are covered under one type of treatment, yet not covered under another. The Medicare Cancer Clinical Trials Coverage Act would lessen the burden on those unable to afford alternative treatments, while at the same time immeasurably expanding our cancer treatment knowledge base," Seffrin said.
"Thanks to the work of Senators Mack, Frist, Rockefeller and Feinstein and Representatives Johnson and Cardin, we can actually have a marked effect on helping both patient outcomes -- increasing survival rates -- and pushing our treatment knowledge ahead. This bill is an important key to helping us conquer cancer. The American Cancer Society urges swift action by Congress because the MCCTCA is a bill both Republicans and Democrats can put their full weight behind," Seffrin concluded.
Unice B. Lieberman
American Cancer Society
202-661-5710
Unice.Lieberman@cancer.org
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