Arizona Congressional Members Join Call For Increased Cancer Screenings

With time running out on the Congressional calendar, a group of more than 100 members of the House signed a bipartisan letter urging both Democrat and Republican leadership to pass the popular “Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act”, otherwise known as MCED.  The letter was signed by Arizona House members Paul Gosar, David Schweikert, Tom O’Halleran, and Greg Stanton.  The bill, HR 1946, would allow Medicare to cover some of the new and innovative blood-based cancer screenings being developed by the biotech industry.  While those tests are not yet approved by the FDA, they are near the finish line and this bill would help streamline the process of making these screenings available to those in Medicare when they are approved.

The bill has seen incredible support not only in Congress with 257 Representatives and 54 Senators co-sponsoring (including all Arizona representatives), but in the patient community as well.  More than 400 organizations signed onto a letter led by the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and local cancer groups such as the Cancer Support Communities of Arizona, Exon 20, Arizona Myeloma Network, and Cancer Caregivers AZ have all been vocal in their support of the bill.  With 70% of all cancer deaths occurring within the Medicare population, and Arizona’s large senior population, this is an issue that takes on even more relevance for our state.

The letter details the many important reasons why MCED should pass, including the danger of “MCED technologies … unnecessarily delayed for many years following FDA approval, and the vast majority of seniors would struggle to access these screenings during that time.”  Furthermore, the letter points to potential cost savings through “increasing early detection will reduce late-stage treatment costs and realize savings for Medicare and seniors, ultimately changing the long-term trajectory of cancer spending.”