Entries by actualizedevs

Health Care Roundup: What President Trump’s Health Care Plan Might Include; Recurrence Anxiety; Are There Too Many NCI Cancer Centers?; More

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In August, we noted that President Trump and other members of his administration mentioned that they intend to unveil a substantial health care plan later this month. As we await the details of that plan, we wanted to share this Kaiser Health News article that examines what such a plan may, or may not, include. Congress returns to Washington next week, after the August recess. We will monitor and report on Congressional action on policy […]

How the Patient Perspective Improved My Cancer Research and Changed My Career Path

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The first time I heard the words “you have cancer,” I was sitting in the doctor’s office with my best friend Katie. We were both 28 years old. Katie had a lump removed from her breast the Monday before Thanksgiving and I was home in New Jersey a few days before the holiday to hang out with her post surgery. We were supposed to go to DSW that Wednesday morning when she got a call that her doctor wanted to see her that day. I collapsed on the floor […]

Health Care Roundup: Medicare Payments for CAR-T; Cancer Screenings in Older Adults; Cancer and At-Home DNA Tests; End of Life Care; More

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CAR-T therapies, a cutting-edge type of immunotherapy, are seen by many as the next generation for cancer treatments. Of course, they are expensive and complicated to administer. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced long-awaited policies regarding payment for these treatments. CMS stated, “Medicare will pay for CAR-T therapies so long as they’re administered in health care facilities that follow the […]

NCCS Announces 2019 Stovall Award Honorees, Dr. Harmar Brereton and Dana Dornsife

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(NCCS) is pleased to announce that the 2019 winners of the Ellen L. Stovall Award for Innovation in Patient-Centered Cancer Care are Harmar Brereton, MD, founder of the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, and Dana Dornsife, founder and board chair of the Lazarex Cancer Foundation. Now in its fourth year, the cancer community’s embrace of the award named after longtime NCCS CEO Ellen Stovall continues to be a testament to her lasting […]

Health Care Roundup: Cancer Care Planning Bill Introduced; Drug Pricing Measures Advance; Rural Hospitals Struggling in States that Did Not Expand Medicaid; More

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On July 23, the Cancer Care Planning and Communications Act (CCPCA), H.R. 3835, was reintroduced in the House of Representatives. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) and Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), co-chairs of the Congressional Cancer Survivors Caucus. The CCPCA is NCCS’ top legislative priority as it would increase access to comprehensive cancer care planning for millions of Medicare beneficiaries. If implemented in Medicare […]

NCCS Applauds Introduction by Reps. DeSaulnier and Carter of Bipartisan “Cancer Care Planning and Communications Act”

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Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) and Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), co-chairs of the Congressional Cancer Survivors Caucus, introduced H.R. 3835, the Cancer Care Planning and Communications Act (CCPCA). A legislative priority of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), the bill would create a Medicare service to reimburse providers for time and resources used to create cancer care plans for Medicare beneficiaries. […]

Health Care Roundup: ACA Lawsuit Update; Chronic Pain Study; “Have Cancer, Must Travel;” “Survivorship Issues Reshape a Researcher’s Career;” More

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Last week, a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans heard arguments in the Texas v. United States case that has the potential to invalidate the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Two judges asked pointed questions that seemed sympathetic to the case against the ACA. While this is disheartening for cancer patients who rely so heavily on the ACA, observers from Kaiser Health News and others cautioned that a long road remains […]

Patient Groups Urge Court to Prioritize Patients and Uphold Health Care Law

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Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions and Coverage Standards at Risk — Patient groups are urging the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to prioritize patient protections, including those for people with pre-existing conditions, when it hears oral arguments today in the case Texas v. United States. The case is being appealed after a lower court ruling that the entire health care law should be struck down because Congress repealed the individual […]

Health Care Roundup: Medicaid Work Requirement Studies; Care Coordination/Planning; Financial & Emotional Distress; Cancer in Firefighters; More

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New ACA Replacement Plan? – This week, President Trump hinted at his intention to introduce a new health care plan. Health care remains a very popular political issue among most voters. With widespread reports saying that many Republicans in Congress would rather not make health care or Affordable Care Act (ACA) replacement a top issue in the upcoming elections, it will be interesting to see whether the president follows through in the months ahead. […]

Health Care Roundup: ACA Erased Key Racial Cancer Disparity; ‘Survivor’ Debate; Isolation in Survivorship; Remembering Two Cancer Pioneers; More

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Today marks one year since the Trump administration announced it would not defend the ACA and that the entire law should be struck down, including protections for pre-existing conditions. In just one month, oral arguments are scheduled in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. New research released last week at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting shows that the ACA’s Medicaid expansion reduced racial disparities […]